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| The Employee Hotline was established to foster an environment of openness and honesty, where employees feel comfortable to discuss controversial issues. |
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About the Employee Ethics Hotline
In an investigative report authored by Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., dated September 16, 2004 and adopted by San Diego City Council in October 2004, recommendations were made to "establish procedures to receive and respond to any complaints or concerns regarding accounting, internal controls or auditing matters, including procedures for the confidential and anonymous submission by employees of any such complaints or concerns." As such, in December 2005, the City contracted with The Network, which serves more than 2,000 clients, including 45 percent of the Fortune 500 and many government agencies, to establish and operate a City of San Diego ethics hotline. In January 2006, responsibility for managing the hotline was moved to the Office of Ethics and Integrity (OEI).
OEI developed and implemented extensive policies and procedures governing the operation of the hotline, firmly establishing the hotline's role as a confidential means to report waste, fraud, and abuse, and other unethical behavior and strictly protecting the confidentiality of all complaints, associated reports, working papers, and other documents. Under OEI, the hotline served to foster an environment of openness and honesty, where employees feel comfortable reporting controversial issues safely, even anonymously. The Office recognizes that face to face reporting is always the best form of communication, although that is not always feasible, and that City procedures and/or department instructions state that all complaints should be sent through the chain of command. However, recognizing that employees are not always comfortable going through the chain of command, the hotline is another vehicle to report improper activities.
In July 2008, responsibility for operation of the hotline was moved to the Office of the City Auditor. Additional information on the functioning of the hotline under OEI is contained in Ethics is Everyone's Responsibility: A Report on the First Two Years of the Employee Ethics Hotline (PDF: 511K). This detailed report describes how the Employee Ethics Hotline operated under the department and the numbers and types of calls received from December 1, 2005, through December 31, 2007.
Employee Hotline Summary Reports
NOTE: Reports dated July 2008 to present are available at the Office of the City Auditor Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline Reports webpage.
2008
2007
2006
2005
Closed Employee Hotline Call Reports
OEI prepares annual summary reports of selected closed Employee Hotline calls. Because of confidentiality, not all Employee Hotline calls are included in these reports.
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