The best way to solicit tips is to build a culture that values integrity and employee contribution – a place where employees feel that an unethical person wouldn’t be accepted, and employees would be expected to report bad behavior to the appropriate resource for investigation. Even in agencies with a great overall culture, however, not all employees will know that this is the expectation. Some employees are new, and there are pockets of bad subculture in any large organization. Finally, there’s personal and professional risk to submitting a whistleblower complaint, and some employees will try to avoid this responsibility for their own benefit.
Employees need to know that seeing improper behavior and failing to report it makes them an accomplice. Even in cases where it may not be a crime, it is an ethical lapse. Depending on the circumstances, that lapse may come with either legal consequences or disciplinary action that could affect their employment status.
The point isn’t only to scare employees into action – it’s also to let them know that the agency takes unethical and illegal behavior seriously, and that it will act on any information submitted to the agency’s internal investigations team. Even a single email on the topic sent to the investigative group can have an impact.
The messaging will be more effective with employees if it is delivered on a recurring basis. Ideally, employees will be reminded of their responsibilities by HR and their supervisors at a few different times throughout the year. And it certainly will be helpful to have the agency leader encourage them to report bad behavior as well, if possible.
Do your employees know that reporting bad behavior is expected at all levels of the agency? Do they understand the consequences of failure to report that behavior? To be sure, work with department heads on a plan for communicating the message.
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