Operating a directors' hotline

Operating a directors' hotline

The following question was recently posted to The Communicators' Network:

Q: What's the best way to establish an open forum that allows for anonymity?

A: We've operated a directors' hotline for a few years now with some success. We operate the hotline every Wednesday between 12 and 2pm and directors man it on a rota basis. The same phone number is used each week so we can advertise with ease and callers can remain anonymous (a difficulty with e-mail).

We have had to educate directors and employees that if the caller wants to remain anonymous then it may be difficult for any specific actions to be taken as a result of the call. Mostly we find that people don't mind giving their name but on occasion people want to sound off about an issue without getting involved personally.

In terms of usage, we average two or three calls a week. It's not massive, but we receive between 100 and 150 calls a year and the input from directors and running costs are low. We also tend to see big increases during times of major change so it's an established channel that comes into its own during these times, rather than having to create and advertise new channels.

Nigel Fitzhenry, Communication Manager, Romec