BKMS^® Benchmarking Report

10 interesting facts about the use of whistleblowing systems in Europe

For 5 years now, we have been conducting an annual study together with our customers that yields fascinating analyses and statistics about the use of whistleblowing systems.

For the very first time, we have summarised remarkable insights and statistics from our European customers and are presenting them to the public in a short white paper. It’s brief, to-the-point and available to you as a download.

How is BKMS^® Benchmarking different from other studies on the use of whistleblowing systems?

We are the only provider of whistleblowing systems that can prove that it does not have any access to the data in customers’ systems, as regular audits and certifications by independent bodies confirm.
That means that our benchmarking is made possible through actionable information we receive in working with our customers as part of an anonymous survey.

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10 facts about the use of whistleblowing systems in Europe

All the customers who took part in the Benchmarking Report use our web-based whistleblowing system BKMS^® Incident Reporting, which comprises the Report Intake reporting channel and case management in the Report Management module.

The participants in the Business Keeper benchmarking come from companies and organisations of all sizes and in all industries. Thus, the evaluations give you a very representative picture of the use of whistleblowing systems in Europe.

Want to know more? Here’s a small sampling:

Fact #1: Whistleblowing systems are almost never abused

Incidents reported by employees, customers and suppliers can have a significant impact on whether and to what extent problems, unethical behaviour and discrimination are discovered in companies and organisations. This enables companies not only to reinforce trust but also keep substantial financial risk and damage to their reputations to a minimum.

While many companies are now aware of these benefits, some are still concerned that whistleblowing systems may be abused.

As an example, take potential smears against disagreeable colleagues, where anonymity can break down psychological barriers.

Anonymous reports are important!

The question of whether whistleblowing systems should accept anonymous reports or not was hotly debated for years. However, for the past several years, it has not really been an issue; the option of remaining anonymous is now standard and is well established in legislature around the world.

In fact, it is often explicitly required, including in the EU Whistleblower Directive.

The significance of anonymity is also clearly reflected in the data: Nearly 80% of respondents indicate that over a quarter of the reports they receive are anonymous, and 44% put the figure at half or more.

Companies’ ‘concern’ that the option of anonymity could increase the abuse of whistleblowing systems is unfounded, according to the data:

66% of respondents have received fewer than 2% of reports that were in any way inappropriate, and for a total of 84% of companies, this figure was still under 5%.

– BKMS^® Benchmarking Report 2019