New Irish Website Offers Anonymous Reporting For Whistle Blowers

 

Ethicspro is a recently launched website which facilitates reporting by company personnel into inappropriate behaviours or actions of others within an affiliated organisation. While predominantly aimed at improving internal governance in organisations, the company works with business in promoting best practice and sound business reputation.

A unique feature of the venture is that it allows for anonymous whistle-blowing while outwardly demonstrating best practice policy and procedure in an organisation. It serves to manage a company's governance and ethical standards in a strictly confidential manner.

 

On sign-up a company is given unique login which is then communicated to employees, often through an organisation's specific "ethical reporting at work policy" or through HR documents and contracts. On logging an incident the 'reporter' can track progress of the report by a unique case number assigned and known to them only. As the service prioritises confidentiality and discretion, neither names or emails address are required by the reporter. The reported incident is then sent securely by EthicsPro to the Company's management who then decide how to proceed or follow up.

Graham Burke is managing director of Ethicspro, and is principal of Burke & Associates, a firm of registered auditors, and also a leading forensic accounting firm in with offices in Galway & Longford. Burke explains "With many businesses availing of forensic accounting services I saw the need for a forum whereby people could report professional unethical matters without the fear of intimidation or penalty. Many companies do not take account of the HR or legal matters which can potentially arise in a situation where there has been a fraud against a company, albeit that the fraud is perceived beyond a reasonable doubt".

In its first year of business Ethicspro hopes to build a strong foundation of both national and international clients who value the benefits of using internal resources to build transparency throughout an organisation. The fundamental concept of Ethicspro is to maintain awareness in organisations, that wastage, fraud bribery or corruption all have an impact on business both financially, and by damage to reputation setting the "tone at the top" and delivering that throughout an organisation can be a challenge in itself. Over 40% of frauds are detected by "tip off" and Ethicspro's future plans are to be that watchful eye, becoming reliant on the ethics of individuals to report internally, and perhaps save their company thousands in the process.
 More information http://www.ethicspro.ie/