Aimed at whistleblowing

Imagine knowing something you probably shouldn’t know.

Let’s say you saw or heard something at work that shocked you. Something unethical. Incorrect.

Are you going to come out with it? Would you be afraid of losing your job?

That’s where whistleblowing comes in.

Exposing malpractice

The concept of whistleblowing is resonating in society, thanks largely to a new law. It imposes obligations on all companies with more than 25 employees. But what do we mean by this term?

Whistleblowing is the reporting of unethical, illegal or corrupt practices within an organisation. This is the responsibility of the whistleblower – the person who notices the problem and reports it. This person is usually an employee or customer of the company.

What do we need to think about?

As already mentioned: organisations with more than 25 employees (or any public procurer) have specific obligations under the law. What are these? The basic requirements include setting up a process for receiving notifications, reviewing them and keeping records. As part of this process, a staff member must be appointed to be responsible for reviewing all notifications. It is then particularly important to establish an internal channel for notifications from your employees, and each complaint must be carefully investigated. The steps taken to correct the problem must also be documented.

The whistleblower must be assured not only of anonymity but also that no retaliatory measures, such as termination of employment or any other form of „punishment“, will be taken against him or her.

When a violation occurs

It does not pay to circumvent the law: if the company fails to investigate the whistleblower’s report sufficiently or to protect the whistleblower’s person, the company may be fined up to CZK 1,000,000 or 5% of its net turnover for the last completed financial year.

Which internal channel to choose?

There are several options for whistleblowing. It can be email, telephone or a web-based platform. The latter is a popular option due to its 24/7 accessibility from anywhere and its ability to maintain 100% anonymity of the whistleblower.

Why is it worthwhile?

Having whistleblowing under control is good not only because of the threat of fines for non-compliance, but also for the growth and efficient running of your business. This is because often such whistleblowing can lead to a better working environment and the development of a company culture. Whistleblowing measures will make employees happier and you will reduce unwanted turnover.

Whistleblowing and Plusco

We also recognise the importance of whistleblowing – that’s why we are currently developing a whistleblowing solution that meets the requirements of the law in our internal communications portal Plusco.