NAVEX has released its 2024 Whistleblowing & Incident Management Benchmark Report, providing comprehensive analysis of 1.86 million global reports from organizations employing over 50 million employees. The report offers critical insights for HR vendors and professionals navigating evolving workplace dynamics and compliance requirements.
Report volume reached a significant milestone with 1.57 reports per 100 employees, while the substantiation rate climbed to 45%, marking the highest level in 11 years. These figures indicate both increased reporting activity and improved investigation outcomes across global organizations. According to Carrie Penman, NAVEX Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, this year's report introduces crucial third-party reporting insights that highlight organizations' need to adopt both internal and external reporting avenues to bolster integrity and foster accountability.
The data reveals striking differences between employee and third-party reporting patterns. Third parties demonstrated a stronger focus on business integrity and financial misconduct issues, with 50% of their reports addressing business integrity matters compared to just 17% from employees. This disparity underscores the importance of external reporting channels for detecting different types of organizational risks.
Accounting-related reports present unique characteristics within the data. While representing a smaller percentage of overall reports, these cases typically receive heightened attention due to potential regulatory action and whistleblower reward programs. The report notes that accounting reports had the longest time between observation and reporting, were least likely to be anonymous, and experienced the longest investigation times, suggesting these cases involve complex evidentiary requirements.
The report demonstrates that even small increases in report volume significantly improve the mix of report types received, indicating that robust reporting cultures yield more diverse and actionable intelligence. As employees returned to offices, workplace behaviors and discord became more visible in the data, with increases in workplace civility, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation reports.
These findings have substantial implications for HR vendors serving the compliance and risk management sectors. The growing emphasis on third-party reporting channels creates opportunities for vendors developing integrated reporting solutions. The increased substantiation rate suggests organizations are improving their investigation capabilities, creating demand for more sophisticated case management tools. The persistent challenges with workplace behaviors indicate continued need for training, policy development, and cultural assessment services.
The report highlights the critical importance of fostering respectful and inclusive work environments while maintaining effective internal and external reporting avenues to address emerging challenges. For HR vendors, these trends signal shifting market demands toward more comprehensive, integrated solutions that address both employee and third-party reporting needs while supporting organizations in building stronger ethical cultures and more effective risk management frameworks.
