ORANGE, Calif., Sept. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- I'm With Them, the nonprofit whose mission is to reduce work-related sexual misconduct, today announced the publication of its online directory of channels for reporting sexual misconduct, ethical violations and fraud to appropriate authorities within the Fortune 500 and other organizations. The directory is now populated with the anonymous reporting hotline phone numbers and websites, email addresses, CHRO names, Diversity & Inclusion officers' names, and links to the Codes of Conduct for approximately 160 of the largest US. Companies.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (1) requires that companies have an anonymous system for reporting ethics violations to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. Most top companies choose to implement an anonymous phone line through which complaints are compiled into reports and then routed to the committee. However, a company's reporting channels and its code of conduct and policies can be surprisingly hard to find.
"What should an employee do when confronted with a powerful executive violating the company's code of ethics? Or when they feel they can't trust their immediate management and HR representatives? Where should a person who is harassed in an interview or audition file a report? This directory provides channels for reaching those with the power to take action," said I'm With Them President Laurie Girand. "Our research (2) showed us how challenging it is to identify this information. Many barriers make it particularly difficult for affiliates—those not employed directly, such as contractors, interviewees and vendors—to notify a company of bad actors in its midst. We are surprised the SEC doesn't provide a directory like this."
The directory is not limited to the Fortune 500. Any company wishing to ensure its information is made easily accessible to those who would report misconduct may be included by contacting I'm With Them at [email protected]. In addition to the directory, I'm With Them provides additional resources and services to catalyze workplace misconduct reporting, including an evaluation of barriers to reporting mechanisms and recommendations for overcoming them.
About I'm With Them
I'm With Them is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce work-related sexual misconduct. Its website, https://www.ImWithThem.org, unites survivors and victims and breaks through barriers of isolation and doubt, empowering them to share substantiation and coordinate approaches to better achieve their justice goals. Follow us on social media at @ImWithThemTOO.
(1) Section 301 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 requires that audit committees of the Board of Directors of publicly-held companies have "confidential, anonymous" procedures for employees to submit "concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters."
(2) See https://www.imwiththem.org/perspectives/bridging-the-gap-in-reporting-sexual-misconduct-in-tech-pdf
and https://imwiththem.org/articles/bridging-the-gap-in-reporting-sexual-misconduct
SOURCE I’m With Them
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