How to communicate a case closure?
This article provides guidelines and templates to help you clearly and effectively communicate case closures to reporters, ensuring transparency and maintaining trust in your SpeakUp syste
Clear communication with the (anonymous) messenger is crucial when handling a report. Formulating reply messages builds trust in the reporting tool and ensures the reporter understands the concluded steps, safeguarding their trust in the system.
When to close a SpeakUp case
- After completing an investigation.
- If the case is a duplicate.
- When the reported case is beyond the scope of your Code of Conduct.
- When the case is determined to be a non-case.
Reasons for case closure
Reporters' messages might contain personal data like names or contact details. Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), organisations must handle personal data lawfully and store it only as long as necessary. Once a case is closed, the lawful basis for keeping the data expires, and all processed data should be permanently deleted. For more detailed instructions on closing a case in SpeakUp, please check out this article.
Importance of communicating a case closure
Failure to inform the reporter that a case is closing can lead to a loss of trust. Leaving an anonymous message often requires courage, and suddenly losing access to the case can be disheartening. Always communicate clearly before closing a case to maintain the reporter's confidence in the system and the investigation process.
Essential elements in the final message
- The outcome of the investigation (based on your policy).
- Clear reasons for closing the case.
- A specific timeline for when the case will be closed (e.g., in 30 days).
Templates
No investigation :
Dear colleague,
Thank you again for contacting us.
The matter you have reported, does not fall in the category of a compliance violation. This case will be closed, and no further action will be taken.
This does not in any way limit your possibility to raise a new concern about this or another compliance related topic in the SpeakUp line.
[We advise you to reach out to …]
Kind regards,
[name compliance officer]
[company name]
SpeakUp Office
No further information received :
Dear colleague,
Thank you again for contacting us.
To be able to further investigate the matter you have reported, we would like to ask you to answer the following questions:
[question 1]
[question 2]
Please use your personal report number to provide additional information and/or clarify the nature of your report, and note that this matter will be closed in 90 days if we do not receive correspondence from you.
Kind regards,
[name compliance officer]
[company name]
SpeakUp Office
After asking for additional information :
Dear colleague,
Thank you for having raised your concern and checking back in with us.
We have reviewed your report. We are sorry to inform you that without further information we cannot investigate your report, and will proceed to close this case [within x days].
After closing the case, you will no longer be able to exchange messages with us but you can still access the report for the next 30 days.
This does not in any way limit your possibility to raise a new concern about this or another compliance related topic in the SpeakUp line.
We would like to thank you for speaking up and raising this concern,
Kind regards,
[name compliance officer]
[company name]
Case closed and actions taken :
Dear colleague,
Thank you again for contacting us.
The matter has been looked into and appropriate actions have been taken. We thus proceed to close the matter.
After closing the case, you will no longer be able to exchange messages with us but you can still access the report for the next 30 days. This does not in any way limit your possibility to raise a new concern about this or another compliance related topic in the SpeakUp line.
We would like to thank you for speaking up and raising this concern,
Kind regards,
[name compliance officer]
[company name]
SpeakUp office
Case closed and action taken :
Dear colleague,
Thank you again for contacting us.
As action has been taken to address this matter, the Compliance Office informs you that this matter is considered closed. Due to privacy and confidentiality reasons, we are not able to share with you the outcome of the investigation or any specific measures taken. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
After closing the case, you will no longer be able to exchange messages with us but you can still access the report for the next 30 days. This does not in any way limit your possibility to raise a new concern about this or another compliance related topic in the SpeakUp line.
We would like to thank you for speaking up and raising this concern,
Kind regards,
[name compliance officer]
[company name]
SpeakUp office