EU Whistleblowing Directive
The Whistleblower Directive, Directive (EU) 2019/1937 was adopted by the European Parliament in October 2019. No later than 2 years later, the EU member states must implement the directive in their legislation. For companies with more than 250 employees, a whistleblower system must be established by December 2021. However, companies with between 50-249 employees have until December 2023 to establish a whistleblower system.
The Whistleblower Directive is Mandatory for all European Companies with more than 50 employees
The law is there to protect whistleblowers and make it safe for them to report offences. This is done by requiring companies with more than 50 employees to establish secure, internal channels for reporting as well as procedures for reporting and follow-up on offences. The internal reporting channels must, among other things, ensure the confidentiality of the individual whistleblower’s identity.
As a company, you can choose whether your reporting channel should be operated internally by a person or department designated and authorized for it, or provided externally by a third party. WhistleSystem provides everything you need to have your own whistleblower scheme.
Our system gives you, among other things, ease of use, quality and security at a good price. And, of course, we ensure that all laws and regulations dictated by the whistleblower scheme are complied with. Read more about WhistleSystem.
What does the requirement of a whistleblower directive mean for you and your business?
You will find the answer to this in this post, where we discuss:
- What is the whistleblower directive?
- Whistleblowers must not be penalized by the company
- How do I follow the whistleblower rules?
- WhistleSystem: A secure and user-friendly whistleblower directive for businesses
What is a whistleblower system?
The system is a valve for employees in a company. The system enables employees to report breaches in the company anonymously.
What does the requirement of a whistleblower directive mean for you and your business?
- Public tender
- Money laundering
- Terrorist financing
- Product safety
- Animal welfare
- Public health
- Consumer protection
- Protection of privacy and personal information
The Whistleblower Directive only sets minimum standards – that is, Member States must, as a minimum, make it possible to report in the areas mentioned.
This also means that countries can choose to extend the rules. Thus, it may also apply in other areas.
No retaliation against whistleblowers according to the whistleblower directive
Part of the directive states that whistleblowers must not be punished for providing information. Thus, employees do not have to worry about their future careers and privacy as a result of the revelation – which could otherwise deter people from standing up.
The directive includes the following penalties (retaliation):
- Termination
- Suspension
- Degradation
- Failure to promote
- Change in working hours and tasks
- Decrease in wages
- Intimidation, harassment and social exclusion in the workplace
The new law on whistleblowing thus calls for greater openness in the company – and more security for the individual employee.
How do I follow whistleblower rules?
According to the directive, it is a requirement that you as a company appoint a person or department to handle the scheme. This can be done both internally or with the help of an external third party.
Your whistleblower system should also allow you to submit information in writing and/or speech. In addition, the whistleblower must, as I said, have the opportunity for anonymity
After a whistleblower has reported information, the recipient must provide confirmation of receipt within 7 days after.
WhistleSystem: A secure and user-friendly whistleblower system for businesses
Do you and your company need help to establish and maintain a whistleblower system?
WhistleSystem is a secure and simple solution. With WhistleSystems software, you are guaranteed to comply with the rules of the new law on whistleblowing – without having to devote important resources to the case.
The software is developed specifically for companies that want to avoid spending large amounts of time, money and resources on lawyers and legal details.
The best price
With WhistleSystem, you and your company are safe, both in terms of legislation and in terms of the well-being of your employees, at the best price.
