VCU ethics and compliance helpline launched

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VCU employees now have an anonymous and confidential way to communicate suggestions, concerns or reports of potential misconduct. 

The VCU Helpline is accessible online and by phone and ensures that employee concerns about ethics or compliance in the workplace are heard and addressed quickly and discretely.

Rhonda Bishop, university compliance officer, said the VCU Helpline has been in development for 18 months. 

“Helplines such as this are considered to be a best practice by universities and other industries across the country,” Bishop said. “The helpline is a safety valve for employees to go to when they feel uncomfortable reporting a concern to a supervisor or believe it is inappropriate to report to a central office.”

Bishop said an advantage of the VCU helpline is that employees reporting over the phone or online can get feedback on the resolution of their case. To maintain their anonymity, employees reporting to the helpline are assigned a unique user name and choose their own password, which they use to retrieve phone or online messages that provide information on the status of their case or which they can use to provide or request more information.

The University has contracted with Ethics Point, Inc. to provide the helpline services.  The data from helpline reports is hosted on EthicsPoint secure servers, which are not part of the VCU Web site or intranet. Bishop said there is no way for VCU to know who has made a report to the helpline.

Typical issues addressed by the hotline include ethics and compliance concerns involving finances, research, employment and other human resources matters, property, facilities, health and safety. 

“The VCU Code of Ethics serves as the university’s moral compass, and the VCU Helpline is a resource for employees who seek direction,” Bishop said. “The goal is for employees to feel comfortable using the helpline to report or obtain information regarding concerns they have about conducting university business with honesty and integrity.”

VCU employees will be receiving wallet cards and information about the helpline mailed to their homes. For more information or to report a concern, visit www.vcuhelpline.com or call 888-242-6022.