Why is it important for all companies to have a whistleblowing channel?
A whistleblowing channel is used to report any activity related to misconduct within the organization through a designated channel that will become a valuable tool for maintaining an ethical and responsible corporate culture besides safeguarding the organization’s reputation and stakeholders’ interests. For that reason, although having a whistleblowing channel is starting to be a global legal requirement for many countries (including the EU member states, see more information here) it should be seen as a tool for promoting transparency and ethical behaviour within the company.
Having a whistleblowing channel is important for organizations for several reasons:
- Organizations have an ethical and often legal responsibility to ensure that unethical or illegal activities are reported and addressed.
- A whistleblowing channel is a critical mechanism for detecting wrongdoing within an organization as employees are often the first one to notice.
- It can help prevent harm to individuals, the organization itself and its stakeholders as early intervention reduces potential harm.
- Whistleblowers often face risks, including retaliation, if they come forward with information. Whistleblowing channels are designed to protect their identity and shield them from adverse consequences for speaking out.
- This channel contributes to good corporate governance by promoting transparency, accountability and responsible behaviour within the organization which will improve your organization’s culture.
- Timely reporting of misconduct through a whistleblowing channel allows the organization to perform an early intervention and address issues before they escalate.
- Complying with governmental legislation as failing to comply with the regulation can result in legal penalties.
What are some of the reasons to file a complaint?
There are various reasons why individuals might choose to file a complaint through a whistleblowing channel but often these reasons revolve around concerns related to unethical, illegal or unsafe activities within an organization. Some of the reasons to file a complaint are the following:
- Scam
- Irregularities of any type
- Tax evasion
- Criminal felony
- Breach of data protection
- Money laundering
- Unfair competition
- Internal corruption
- Intellectual property rights
How does Nailted’s whistleblowing channel system work?
Nailted whistleblowing channel system is composed by a number of phases:
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Complaint is filed by employee.
Nailted has a specific channel available for all employees to file a complaint anonymously to the organization. To send a complaint follow the steps described below:
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- Go to your my.nailted account and access the Messages section.
- Click into the Send message button and select the Send complaint option. A new window will open.
- Now add a descriptive Subject of the complaint that you want to send and a detailed description in the Content of your message section.
- Once you are ready, click on the Send Complaint button. You will be provided with a complaint ID number that will be used to identify your complaint.
At this point the complaint has been sent to be revised by the Whistleblowing committee, but the employee can consult its status at any time in the Messages section.
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The Whistleblowing committee receives the complaint.
Once a complaint has been submitted the Whistleblowing committee will receive a notification informing them that a new complaint has been received.
💡The status of the complaint will change automatically from received to in progress.
The complaint committee can use the messaging facility to enquire if further information is needed as it works as a bidirectional communication channel. If further information is required, a notification will be sent to the person that filed the complaint.
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Complaint resolution.
Once the investigation regarding the complaint has been finished, the case should be closed by clicking on the three dots icon and selecting the close option.