Three Cheers for Tchotchkes! (And why we mean what they say)
Compliance Corner – Issue 2.9
A closet full
Boxes and bags, on shelves, overflowing
Three cheers for tchotchkes, I say!
When I stepped into my role as the Training and Communications Specialist for the Integrity and Compliance Office, one of the things I inherited was a closet full of ICO tchotchkes. You know them: sticky-note pads, coasters, chip clips, pens, and my personal favorite, tissue box covers. Each of these lovelies is labeled with ICO info we want you to remember; important info, like the web address and phone number for the VCU Helpline, and cutesy expressions, like “Ethical concerns are nothing to sneeze about!” (from the tissue box covers, of course). We give them away at campus events or when we hold workshops. We may have given some to you.
But, in my opinion, the best use of the money we’ve spent on tchotchkes was when we ordered items bearing this message: “Speak up! We’re listening.”
Much of our day to day work in the ICO involves spreading the word about speaking up. Within the last year, we’ve created new content to teach how we can all do our part to create psychological safety (so the environment is one where people feel safe to speak up), and to help employees find their voice when they have something to say. If you’re reading this blog, you probably know that we often write about speak-up culture. When we do, we remind readers that at VCU, the reporting process is one where you can remain anonymous, if you choose. We also remind them that we all have a duty to report when we see something wrong, and that we are protected from retaliation. (See the Duty to Report and Protection from Retaliation policy.)
From time to time, we hear from an employee who tells us that even though we have policies against retaliation, it still happens. We also hear that some employees have lost faith in the process, stating that when they, or someone they know, did speak up, nothing happened or changed.
We want to thank the employees that shared these things for their feedback.
They spoke up, and we listened.
With that in mind, we thought it would be a good idea to share some details from our annual report, published this week, because actions speak louder than words. And we’ve been taking action.
We are happy to report that during Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, 262 people from within the VCU community came forward to report a concern; they spoke up.
When they did, we listened, and in conjunction with our compliance partners across campus, and in line with our procedures, we opened investigations. During that process, we interviewed the reporters and others who might have witnessed something to help us substantiate (prove/support) the reported concerns. The top 5 substantiated issues from FY 2023 can be seen in this graphic:
As a result of reports being substantiated, we recommend sanctions, or consequences, for the relevant organization’s management to take. Actions taken this year included the following:
Sometimes, it may not seem like much is happening, but rest assured, the ICO follows up on every report we receive. And when we do, we see the process through to fruition, opening investigations, documenting accounts from the reporters and the others that can help us determine what happened. And when the facts suggest that misconduct happened, we report that to relevant decision makers, with recommendations to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. We also follow up to record corrective actions taken and preventive measures initiated. We even check back, months later, to ensure that there was no retaliation against the reporters. Finally, we report our results to the Board of Visitors and the public, including you, with our annual report each year.
But, we can’t do it without your help.
So, the next time you rifle through that junk drawer and find those tchotchkes, read the messages, because we mean what they say: Speak up! We’re listening.
If you’ve been wanting to speak up or simply want to know more about the reporting process, please contact the Integrity & Compliance Office (ICO) at (804) 828-2336, or the VCU Helpline at vcuhelpline.com or (888) 242-6022.