A Helpline Without an Awareness Campaign Is Half a System

The typical life of a corporate helpline goes like this. A policy is approved, a number and email address are set up, an announcement goes out, posters appear in the canteen. For a few weeks, a handful of reports arrive. Then the posters fade, new joiners never hear about it, and the audit committee is told each quarter that complaints are low.

Low complaints are usually read as good news. More often they are a sign that people have forgotten the channel, do not know what it is for, or do not believe it works.

Why awareness is the missing half

A helpline answers the question "how do I report?". People also need answers to three other questions before they will use it:

1. Is this worth reporting? Many employees are unsure whether what they have seen is wrong, or serious enough.
2. Is it safe? They need to hear, repeatedly and credibly, about confidentiality and protection from retaliation.
3. Does anything happen? They need evidence that concerns raised before led to action.

Only awareness campaigns can answer these. The ACFE's Occupational Fraud 2026 report found that 43% of frauds were detected by tips. Those tips come from people who knew what to report, believed it was safe and expected it to matter.

What a good campaign says

What is right and wrong, in concrete terms

Abstract values do not help someone standing in front of a contractor holding an envelope. Campaigns should use specific, local scenarios:

• A vendor offers a festive gift hamper worth more than the gifts policy allows. What to do: decline politely, or declare and hand it over; never accept cash or gift cards.
• Your manager asks you to raise a purchase order after the goods have arrived, without a quotation. What to do: ask for the approval in writing and raise a concern if it is a pattern.
• A distributor asks you to book sales before the goods leave the warehouse, to meet a target. What not to do: agree, even if "everyone does it".
• A colleague is paid for days they were not on site. Whom to tell: the helpline, anonymously if you prefer.

What to do and not do when you see something

• Do note what you saw, when and who was involved.
• Do not investigate yourself, confront the person or collect documents you are not authorised to access.
• Do use the channel that feels safest, including anonymous reporting.
• Do expect a reference and follow-up questions.

What protection exists

State clearly that retaliation is itself misconduct, who protects reporters, and that complaints about senior people go directly to the audit committee chair, as s. 177(10) of the Companies Act 2013 envisages.

What happened last time

The single most powerful message is evidence of action. Share, at least annually and ideally each campaign:

• the number of concerns received and investigated, by category;
• anonymised examples of outcomes: dismissals, vendor terminations, recoveries, control changes;
• a short statement from leadership that the company acted, and thanks those who spoke up.

How to run campaigns

• Periodically, not once. Two or three structured campaigns a year, with lighter reminders in between.
• At moments of risk. Festive gifting seasons, year-end target pressure, restructuring, plant shutdowns, and after a significant matter is resolved.
• In the right languages and channels. Posters and screens on the factory floor, messages on mobile, short sessions at site toolbox talks, as well as email.
• For every audience. Employees, contract staff, vendors, dealers and distributors.
• Linked to training. Campaigns reinforce what ethics and governance training teaches.
• Measured. Track recall in short surveys, and changes in report volumes and quality after each campaign.

EthicalView, Spectra's Speak Up system, can support this digitally and seamlessly: running awareness campaigns and the communication around them, alongside an independent helpline and other reach-out channels, training, and setting up and rolling out a code of conduct. Explore EthicalView.

Common mistakes

• One launch, then silence. Awareness decays within months.
• Values without scenarios. "Act with integrity" tells nobody what to do on Monday morning.
• Never showing outcomes. Without evidence of action, campaigns sound like public relations.
• Head-office only. Sites, factories and third parties are often where misconduct is most visible.
• Campaigns that contradict reality. If leaders are seen to ignore the rules, campaigns breed cynicism. Fix the tone at the top first.

Where we can help

We help companies design speak-up awareness programmes built around the risks their people actually face, and we investigate the concerns that campaigns bring forward through our fraud and whistleblower investigation practice. For the channel itself, see our view on independent helplines. Speak to us.