TheCorporateCounsel.net

NAVEX recently released its 2025 Whistleblowing & Incident Management Benchmark Report (available for download). Overall, NAVEX points to “several relatively consistent metrics from 2023 to 2024 following the major disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, signaling that some workplace dynamics are likely settling into a more steady pattern.” Here are some more detailed takeaways from the executive summary:

Median reports per 100 employees were again at record levels in 2024 — matching the level from 2023 at 1.57.

Frequency of web-based reports (33.4%) surpassed hotline reports (29.4%) for the first time. “Other” reports (typically those made in person) still represent the greatest share of reports by frequency globally.

The substantiation rate (reports found to be true) again reached a new all-time high at 46% in 2024 (up from the all-time high of 45% in 2023).

In 2024, even more substantiated reports (20.2%) resulted in separation from employment, and this figure has increased a few percentage points each year since 2021, suggesting that organizations are “becoming bolder in their responses to misconduct.”

New this year, NAVEX has added reporting data broken down by entity type — including public companies, private companies, government entities, and education organizations — allowing for more tailored comparisons.

– Meredith Ervine