Ensure Worker Safety & Transparency with Confidential Reporting
Build an ethical and transparent supply chain by empowering workers to speak up.
Worker interviews are a key step in evaluating a factory during a supplier audit. They help you gain a complete picture of the factory’s operations. However, workers may be hesitant to share concerns on-site due to fear of retaliation from management.
Our Worker Hotline, proactive Anti-Retaliation Callback Service, and Worker Voice Surveys provide a confidential channel for workers to report any coercion, retaliation, or concerns they were uncomfortable sharing with the auditor on-site.
On this page you’ll find:
Why Use the Worker Hotline, Anti-Retaliation Callback Service, and Worker Voice Surveys?
Worker Hotline: Empower Worker Voices
Anti-Retaliation Callback Service
Worker Voice Surveys
QIMA Benefits
More Resources
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Why Use the Worker Hotline, Anti-Retaliation Callback Service, and Worker Voice Surveys?
Our worker protection services help you:
Provide a channel for workers to report issues safely, confidentially, and at a time that suits them.
Gain a complete and transparent picture of conditions at your factories, beyond the initial audit.
Ensure the safety and job security of workers in your factories.
Worker Hotline: Empower Worker Voices
With this service, you know that you are working with reliable and ethical suppliers.
During a supplier audit, workers may feel they want to share additional information even after the audit has been completed. Some workers may not feel safe reporting problems while auditors are present, particularly if they worry that factory management could punish them for speaking up.
Our Worker Hotline is a safe and discreet channel that provides a direct line for workers to share their complaints.
During the on-site interview, workers are given a hotline card listing various contact methods, including telephone, QQ, WeChat, WhatsApp, Line, Viber, email, or other suitable communication channels. Our phone numbers are local or toll-free numbers in the countries we cover, such as China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, and Thailand.
When a worker calls our hotline, they will be able to talk to an experienced QIMA representative in their own language.
All reports made through the Worker Hotline remain confidential, and the worker’s name will not be shared with factory management. They will, however, be passed to the auditor and to you, as the client, to provide a full and transparent picture of what is going on at the factory and help create a better working environment.
Anti-Retaliation Callback Service
A key concern when carrying out an audit is that factory management may punish a worker for providing honest feedback on their working conditions. Our Anti-Retaliation Callback Service is designed to uncover any such incidents, ensure worker safety, and provide a complete understanding of the working environment.
Here’s how our Anti-Retaliation Callback Service operates:
1. Communication During the Audit
The auditor informs factory management that workers will receive a hotline card during interviews and a follow-up phone call to ensure no retaliation occurs.
During interviews, our auditor distributes the hotline card, explains the follow-up process, and collects the worker’s phone number, preferred call time (e.g., weekend, evening, lunch break), and language. Workers are also informed of the QIMA Worker Hotline number to call if they encounter any problems.
2. Upon Completion of the Audit
We call the interviewed workers at their preferred time, within a specified time period after the audit (for example, 10 days).
The call process can be customized to meet your needs. For instance:
Unlimited call attempts until successful or requested to stop
A set maximum number of attempts per worker (e.g., two attempts)
3. During the Call
Our callers speak in the worker’s language, and can cover multiple local languages depending on the country. For example, in Malaysia, our callers cover Bahasa Malaysia, Thai, three dialects of Indian language, and English.
Using a structured script, we ask both pre-determined and open-ended questions to give workers the chance to share additional concerns. All responses are recorded in detail and shared with you.
Sample questions include:
Did anyone in the facility management help you prepare for the audit interview?
Did anyone in the facility management help you prepare any records for the audit, such as your job application, pay or attendance records?
Following the audit, were you terminated from your job for an unwarranted reason?
Following the audit, were you subjected to any unwarranted disciplinary actions?
Following the audit, were your wages/benefits reduced for unwarranted reasons?
Following the audit, were your work responsibilities reduced for unwarranted reasons?
After the audit interview, did anyone in management make you reveal the questions asked and your answers?
Is there any other complaint you have regarding the facility or management you would like to share now?
4. Following the Callbacks
You will be able to access the callback results on a secure, anonymous dashboard that guarantees worker confidentiality. No names or contact information are displayed.
The dashboard provides:
Overview of call volumes and success rates
Detailed call results, including the number of complaints and reported violations
Call quality metrics, such as call length
Results broken down by supplier or factory
Worker Voice Surveys
To make worker voices heard across global supply chains, QIMA has partnered with Ulula, a North America-based social enterprise that equips organizations with technology, data, and analytics to monitor the risk of human rights abuses and create more responsible supply chains.
By integrating Ulula's solutions with QIMA’s on-site audits, we provide workers with a safe and effective mechanism to report any relevant information about their workplace, both reactively and proactively.
An example of a reactive report would be an account of abuse and threat in the workplace, or a human rights violation, such as restriction of freedom or withholding of passports. By contrast, a proactive report might involve an employee reporting a perceived structural risk so that it can be addressed before it’s exacerbated.
Ulula’s worker voice survey results are integrated into and correlated with QIMA’s audit reports, giving you a comprehensive picture of your factories’ ongoing improvements and adding an extra layer of objectivity compared to a one-off spot check.
Create an account and book a Worker Hotline Service
QIMA Benefits
Independent quality control performed by product experts to protect your business interests
Global coverage across 100 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America
Speed and flexibility with an inspector onsite within 48 hours; modify or cancel up to the day before inspection
Same-day inspection reports tailored for your product
Online program management to book inspections, make payments, and download detailed reports
Custom quality dashboard to identify trends and make informed decisions in real time
More Resources
Blog: How To Prevent Forced Labor in Your Supply Chain – Regulations, Trends & Tools
Blog: From Reactive to Proactive: The Benefits of Worker Callback Services