Whistleblowing is a specific means by which an employee or stakeholder can report or dis-close information through established channels in good faith, through a reasonable belief that the information provided is substantially accurate.

According to the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, The Whistleblower policy protects employees who were dismissed or penalised for reporting relevant wrongdoings within a Company. See examples as follows:

• Commission of an offence — has happened, is happening, or is likely to happen;
• Failure to comply with any legal obligation (other than one arising under the worker’s contract of employment);
• Miscarriage of justice;
• Health and safety of any individual;
• Misuse of public money;
• Gross mismanagement by a public body;
• Damage to the environment;
• Destruction or concealment of information relating to any of the above.

Having this policy in place in your Company protects your business from wrongful practices. It also encourages your employees to raise concerns or report possible improprieties, malpractice or illegal activities occurring in the workplace.

It is recommended that every Company has a whistleblowing policy in place to ensure that:

• Employees have a safe and confidential place to make their disclosures.
• Employers have the opportunity to address issues in the earliest moments.
• There is a clearly understood procedure governing the protected disclosure of information.

In the workplace, there should be appropriate procedures in place for Employers and employee regarding grievances, injustices, discrimination etc. Therefore, these issues would be outside the scope of this policy and should be addressed through the appropriate channels.

An effective policy ensures employees understand how to make a disclosure. This will in turn benefit the Company as they can respond appropriately.

Do you need support implementing a whistleblowing policy? Learn more how we can help you here.

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