Ethics Hotline Service

Protect your organization by encouraging employees to speak up

Fraud, theft, sexual harassment, waste, ethics violations, and other misconduct are issues that every organization must be prepared to deal with.

There are a number of ways that ethics violations and misconduct can harm a company, including legal consequences, reputational damage, poor employee morale, and lack of trust. When people engage in ethical misconduct, the consequences can be far-reaching and damaging.

It’s imperative that employees, shareholders, customers, and other stakeholders have a means of reporting conduct that may be placing you at risk. Confidential and secure, our ethics hotline service is a reliable solution for collecting and transmitting sensitive information.

Woman calling the ethics hotline to make a report

Enable confidential ethics reporting 24/7 by phone or web

Instead of allowing potentially damaging situations to go undisclosed, our fraud and ethics compliance reporting service encourages individuals to report information confidentially and without the threat of retaliation.

CMS’s Ethics Hotline Solution features:

Telephone and web-based reporting
Anonymous and/or confidential reporting
Secure confirmation number and password for each report
Two-way incident communication
Branded website and incident management dashboard

By choosing CMS as your ethics hotline provider, you gain more than a hotline. You gain a complete system for facilitating ethics compliance intake within your organization.

A low-cost, minimalist ethics compliance solution

CMS offers a low-cost, minimalist solution for organizations looking to set up an ethics hotline.

Having a confidential reporting system is often necessary to achieve compliance with anonymous reporting guidelines, regulations, or contract stipulations.

Most organizations only need the basics — a means for employees and other stakeholders to safely report misconduct 24 hours a day. CMS provides this service at a fraction of the cost of other solutions.

CMS ethics compliance service provides a simple and effective solution for organizations of all sizes. Our usage-based pricing means that you only pay for what you use and plans start as low as $50 per month.

Call center agent wearing a headset answering an ethics hotline call

Features

Available 24/7/365

We are always available to take your calls. Simply forward your lines and we’ll take it from there.

Toll Free Hotline

Establish a toll-free number dedicated to your ethics hotline.

Web & Phone Reporting

Accept ethics reports anonymously through a 24/7 telephone hotline or online portal.

Two-Way Communication

Employees receive a Report ID and Passcode after each submission, enabling them to follow up and communicate with company officials anonymously and vice-versa.

Data Retention

Ethics hotline records, including timestamps, call data, and case management reports, are all stored securely and retained per your data retention policies.

Case Management

Case management software enables your legal or compliance team to follow up and investigate reports.

How the Incident Reporting Process Works

You will be guided through a series of questions to provide information regarding the incident. Again, this is completely confidential, and personal information is not required to file a report.

At the completion of the questionnaire, you will be provided with a unique Report ID and Passcode. You will then be directed to follow up on the status of your report via web or telephone. Important: Please record your confirmation number and case number carefully and keep it in a safe place. You will not be able to access your report without these numbers.

Your report will be submitted to the appropriate personnel at Demo Sample Account to begin researching the incident.

Account Personnel or Counsel will review the report and they have the option to add status updates or ask additional questions

By calling 555-555-5555 or visiting this website and selecting Follow-up On a Report (Link) and providing your Report ID and Passcode, you will then be provided with the status update, additional questions, and/or feedback left by the reviewing party. You are also able to add comments to your original report.

Benefits of an Ethics Compliance Hotline

An ethics hotline for employees can help an organization identify and address ethical issues before they become serious problems. Establishing a hotline is a low-cost way to encourage ethical behavior and promote a culture of compliance within an organization.

Some of the benefits of an ethics compliance hotline include:

1. Identifying potential problems early: A hotline allows employees to confidentially report any concerns they have about unethical behavior. This can help to identify potential problems early and prevent them from becoming serious issues.

2. Encouraging employees to speak up: Employees may be reluctant to report ethical issues if they believe that doing so could jeopardize their job security. A hotline provides a safe and anonymous way for employees to speak up about any concerns they have.

3. Promoting a culture of compliance and integrity: Establishing an anonymous fraud hotline does more than protect your organization from the damaging effects of misconduct, it helps promote a culture of integrity and encourage honest behavior. By informing stakeholders how the hotline is to be used and why, you demonstrate how seriously you take your code of conduct and that you have a policy in place for investigating potential infractions.

4. Protecting the organization’s reputation: Unethical behavior can damage an organization’s reputation and lead to negative publicity. A hotline can help to prevent these problems by allowing employees to report any concerns they have.

5. Avoiding legal penalties: Organizations can be subject to heavy fines and other legal penalties if they engage in unethical behavior. A hotline can help to avoid these problems by allowing employees to report any concerns they have.

6. Protecting whistleblowers: Employees who report ethical issues can be at risk of retaliation from their employer. A hotline can help to protect employees by providing a safe and anonymous way to report their concerns.

7. Maintaining morale: Employees who work in an environment where ethical issues are not tolerated are more likely to be productive and have higher morale. A hotline can help to maintain employee morale by encouraging employees to report any concerns they have.

8. Conducting better investigations: Organizations can better investigate reports through two-way communication that enables follow-up and ongoing dialogue. For example, investigators can use the CMS ethics compliance dashboard to request additional documents or conduct a confidential interview with the person who made the report.

9. Complying with laws and regulations: Many laws and regulations require organizations to have a mechanism in place for employees to report ethical issues. A hotline can help an organization comply with these requirements by providing a confidential way for employees to report their concerns.

10. Enforcing proper protocol: With our anonymous ethics line in place, you can rest assured that all reports will be handled properly from the start, reaching only the designated personnel and containing the information needed to take action.

Ethics and Compliance Hotline Solutions

Anonymous Employee Hotline

Have every phone call answered live. Every community, every resident, every time. We follow your instructions and work as an extension of your office.

Ethics Hotline

Have every phone call answered live. Every community, every resident, every time. We follow your instructions and work as an extension of your office.

Compliance Hotline

Prepare for property management emergencies with a 24-hour hotline designed to ensure every urgent call is promptly dispatched.

SOC 2 and ISO Whistleblower Compliance

Easily accept, document, and process property maintenance calls with a centralized hotline. Establish rules and processes for every routine maintenance issue.

Sexual Harassment Hotline

Create a barrier between your office and on-call staff with after-hours answering service. We answer live even whenever your office is closed.

Whistleblower Hotline

Our hotline can bring companies into compliance with the whistleblower protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 by establishing a confidential solution for receiving and retaining complaints.

Integrate Your Existing Systems

Our hotline solution integrate with the tools you use daily, making your life easier by streamlining workflows and keeping data synced across applications.

Image of some of the top software applications that CMS integrates with, including Slack, Paycor, ADP, Salesforce, Zendesk, Autotask, Halo PSA, Kronos, Zoho, and Workday

Ethics Hotline Service FAQ

What is an ethics hotline?

An ethics hotline is a confidential telephone line or online service that employees can use to report suspected unethical behavior within their organization. Ethics hotlines are typically run by independent third-party organizations, and they provide employees with a safe way to voice their concerns without fear of retaliation.

Organizations establish ethics hotlines as a way to encourage employees to report unethical behavior and to help prevent and detect wrongdoing. By having an independent third party operate the hotline, organizations can ensure that employees feel comfortable coming forward with their concerns. Ethics hotlines can also help organizations identify patterns of unethical behavior and take corrective action.

How much does an ethics hotline cost?

The cost of an ethics hotline varies depending on the provider, but CMS's prices start at just $50 a month. This makes us one of the most affordable providers in the market. Our low cost does not sacrifice quality, as we offer a comprehensive and confidential service that helps organizations achieve their ethics compliance goals.

What gets reported to the ethics hotline?

The hotline is a resource for employees to report potential ethics and compliance violations. These include, but are not limited to, concerns related to:

-Bribery or corruption

-Conflicts of interest

-Fraud or financial misconduct

-Harassment or discrimination

-Health and safety violations

-Retaliation

-Theft or misuse of company property

Concerns that are not related to ethics or compliance, such as HR or IT issues, should not be reported to the hotline.

If employees are unsure whether or not to report something, they should be encouraged to err on the side of caution and make a report.

Are ethics hotlines really anonymous?

The answer to this question depends on how the hotline is configured. Some hotlines are set up to be completely anonymous, meaning that callers do not have to give their name or any other identifying information. Other hotlines are confidential, which means that callers' identities are kept confidential but may be known to hotline staff. Ultimately, it comes down to what an organization wishes to establish. For example, CMS can configure both anonymous and confidential hotlines. In many cases, callers are given the choice of whether they want to self identify or not.

Are ethics hotlines effective?

Ethics hotlines are an effective tool for uncovering and discouraging misconduct. An effective ethics hotline can help an organization in several ways. First, it provides a mechanism for employees to report potential wrongdoing without fear of retaliation. Second, it can be used to identify trends and patterns of behavior that may indicate a bigger problem. Third, it can help build a culture of compliance by showing employees that the organization is serious about ethical issues.

There are a few things to keep in mind when setting up an ethics hotline. First, it is important to ensure that the hotline is confidential or anonymous. Employees should feel comfortable coming forward with information, without fear of reprisal. Second, the hotline should be easy to use, and available 24/7. Third, it is important to have procedures in place to ensure that all reports are investigated thoroughly and promptly.

An ethics hotline can be an effective tool in promoting ethical behavior in the workplace. However, it is important to remember that it is just one part of a larger compliance program. When used properly, an ethics hotline can help to build a culture of compliance and ensure that employees feel comfortable reporting potential wrongdoing.

Ethics Hotline Service - Fraud Hotline Provider | CMS

CMS Ethics Hotline Service is a confidential compliance hotline that enables employees and other stakeholders to safely report misconduct within your organization. This whistleblower hotline solution provides an independent third party reporting channel that can accessed by phone or a branded website.

Service Type: Ethics Hotline

Affordable 24/7 compliance and ethics hotline provider