Please shout quietly! Whistleblowing System
The “Whistleblower Directive”
According to the EU’s Whistleblower Directive (2019/1937), as of December 17th, 2021, all companies with more than 249 employees, legal entities under public law (such as cities and municipalities) and companies owned or controlled by the latter have to set up an internal whistleblower reporting channel. Two years later, companies with more than 50 employees are required to follow suit. The most important details can be found here.
Although this directive should have already been implemented by December 17th, 2021, the Austrian legislator is in default. Nevertheless, Haslinger / Nagele is ahead of time and already offers a solution for companies:
Four reasons why a functioning “Whistleblowing System” is important
…and should therefore be installed now!
- Creates trust: A functioning “whistleblowing system” gives employees or other people close to the company the certainty that their tips and concerns are taken seriously, dealt with appropriately and appropriate follow-up measures are taken.
- Reputation protection: Trust in the internal system reduces the likelihood that whistleblowers will turn to external bodies with their tips and concerns and that information about alleged violations of the law will be released to the public in an uncontrolled manner.
- Identifying areas of danger: A functioning “whistleblowing system” enables any legal violations within the company to be identified and remediated at an early stage (e.g.: internal investigations, voluntary self-disclosures, etc.).
- Risk minimization: Knowledge of existing risks enables appropriate countermeasures to be taken in good time and future legal violations to be avoided.
17. January 2021
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