When we talk about whistleblowing, we mean informing about, or reporting, a certain action, behavior, or event. These acts might violate internal or external regulations, ethics, or current legislation. You can think about fraud, abuse, and corruption as examples of acts that are important to notify about. Employee notifications are an effective way for a company to get insight into its compliance to a wide range of laws and regulations, such as the protection of personal data (Directive 95/46/EC).
Whistleblowing can also be defined as: “The disclosure of information related to corrupt, illegal, fraudulent or hazardous activities being committed in or by public or private sector organizations - which are of concern to or threaten the public interest - to individuals or entities believed to be able to effect action.”
Up until recently, the European Union did not have any specific regulations which mandated the use of a whistleblowing channel. This allowed companies to implement a channel that they found suitable, such as the whistleblower sending an email to HRM. However, the new EU Whistleblower directive (Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council), will require each country within the EU to adapt a law which mandates companies with more than 50 employees to adapt a safe and confidential ethical channel. Such a channel should always have a follow-up system in place. The new regulation obliges all EU countries to implement a suited whistleblowing law at latest on December 17th 2021. This will change the meaning of whistleblowing for all large companies, making it an essential part of a business’ compliance.
The New Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing will now stand for speaking out, protecting our employees from unwanted violations, as well as protecting them when they notify about this. It means employees standing up for themselves, but also transparency and integrity. This will decrease fraud without increasing personal risk, eventually leading to greater productivity. Start today to become part of the new whistleblowing with the easy and secure WhistleForm platform.