Whistleblowing articles and news

There are many ways to tick off the legal requirement for an internal whistleblowing channel. For those of you who want to enable people to safely speak up, we have a comparison of the individual tools side by side, with regard to the conditions of the new proposal for whistleblowing protection law. Phone lineIt takes a lot of courage for an employee to reach out via phone call. Phone call forces the person to describe the context without a chance to read and review what they want to say or to attach any form of evidence such as a document, a photo, or other files. This solution lacks information about who is dealing with the report and what its current state is. In small teams, there’s also no guarantee of anonymity, as the employee’s voice can easily be recognized (what if there’s only one woman on the team?). Requires creating a new anonymous account or numberDoesn’t allow the notifier to think everything through and review what they want to shareThe reporter can’t attach any documents and evidenceAnonymity can’t be guaranteedThe line isn’t always available but is subjected to the work hours of the responsible personAccording to the new law proposal, the received reports will have to be stored in written formEmail E-mail at least eliminates the possibility to identify the notifier by their voice. But different obstacles can arise. Imagine yourself in the shoes of an employee from an older generation who’s already nervous enough about wanting to share a problem with you. If you expose them to the lengthy process of creating an anonymous e-mail, they will likely give up on it instead. Moreover, it will be a chore to create order within all the anonymous correspondence. Not to mention that it will be difficult to collaborate on resolving the issues safely with other colleagues. Requires creating an anonymous e-mail addressYou’re likely to get lost in all the incoming anonymous correspondenceMore people can’t collaborate on resolving issues at the same time, on top of which the notifier does not know the current state.It’s a cheap solutionOnline whistleblowing channel An online trust box platform enables anyone to speak up about anything safely and anonymously. In addition, it provides the whistleblower with an overview of what is happening with his report and the company solver can even establish a dialogue. In the administration of online reporting channels, the solvers can see the status and number of active reports. They can collaborate with other colleagues on the solution and possibly view supporting materials, such as attached photos or documents. Access to the channel can also be given to the customers, job seekers, or even suppliers. Choose an online whistleblowing channel wisely. Ensure it meets all the demands that will soon be required from you and that it’s truly safe. It’s good to check how the personal data is handled, whether all the messages are encrypted, and if the ISO certification is present. The whistleblower’s anonymity is guaranteed as long as they want to have itThey can attach any documents and other forms of evidenceThe solvers can establish a dialogue with the whistleblower without putting their anonymity at riskNo need for creating an accountIt’s available also for suppliers, customers, and other kinds of whistleblowersThere can be an option to include third parties in solving a certain topic (e.g. your lawyers or the company psychologist)Physical mailbox A physical mailbox is a good start. But how to follow up on an anonymous correspondence that arrives in the mailbox? How to find out further details, if someone mentions a serious issue and you’re lacking essential information needed for resolving it? A physical mailbox can be seen as a survival of time, especially among younger colleagues. At the same time, it isn’t compliant with the requirements of the new proposal for the whistleblower protection law, which encourages companies to make their whistleblowing channel accessible also to current job seekers or suppliers. Maintaining anonymity can also become tricky. The whistleblower is risking being seen throwing a report into the box by someone. The whistleblower is risking being seen using the mailboxIt’s not an ideal solution for the younger generations that are more comfortable with online platformsYou have no chance to ask for further information nor to follow up on the report, in case it’s anonymousCustomers and suppliers have no way of expressing their concerns if they don’t have access to the mailboxWe’ll be happy to show you what FaceUp can do. Check out our whistleblowing system and schedule a demo today.

Whistleblowers – who are they, and why will we hear more about them this year? A whistleblower, in its literal sense, is the one who blows the whistle. Not at a football match, but in a situation where they witness real-life unfair practices. Either as an employee, a customer, or a supplier. It can often concern corruption, but it can also be in situations where someone’s health or the environment is at risk. Whether ignorance, corruption, or something else leading to bad decisions resulting in accidents, damage to health and the environment, or even misappropriation of public finances. But whistleblowers don’t wait around the corner to catch someone in the act. It can be someone who accidentally witnessed injustice, and is struggling to decide, whether to come out with the truth or keep everything to themselves. Usually, the first ones to find out about such slips are employees who notice iniquities during their work that could cause difficulties for their employer or management, or stumble across information that suggests possible harm or threat to the public interest. Therefore, by reporting the wrongdoings, the whistleblower can protect the public interest. Unfortunately, this often puts both the professional and personal life of the whistleblower at risk. This fear of retaliation also becomes the main reason why people are afraid to report unfair practices. The general approach to protecting whistleblowers varies significantly in different jurisdictions. In France, for example, there is very little specific statutory protection for whistleblowers. However, the French National Commission for Data Protection and Liberties (Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés) (CNIL) imposes a duty to protect those who make a complaint.  However, some jurisdictions have a unified approach to whistleblower protection. In Japan and the UK, for instance, a single law provides protection for whistleblowers in both the private and public sectors and covers complaints related to a broad range of misconduct. Protection for whistleblowers in other jurisdictions such as the US is set out in various sources, including: federal and state law and statutory and common law. European Union Directive 2019/1937 on the protection of whistleblowers came into force on 16 December 2019. EU member states now have until 2021 to incorporate the directive into their own national laws. FaceUp aims to be the tool that will help companies with adjusting to the whistleblowing protection law. It aims to ensure law compliance to the employer and offer support for employees, who can feel safe if they ever need to ‘blow the whistle’ to help uncover unfair practices at work or more.