It requires active and continuous focus and holistic integration of the whistleblower scheme if you want to ensure you get the most out of your whistleblower scheme as a management tool.
Workplaces with more than 49 employees must establish a whistleblower scheme, but the whistleblowing scheme risks becoming an ineffective compliance tool if it is not integrated in an appropriate way and if you have not made it concrete why the whistleblowing scheme is important and what it should be used for.
It is therefore important that you not only establish a whistleblower scheme or a reporting platform to meet legal requirements, but that you also make it concrete how the system will strengthen a positive work culture, support responsible management and thus contribute to the long-term sustainability of the company. A good and effective whistleblower scheme will also contribute to your ability to live up to ESG, with a particular focus on governance and corporate social sustainability.
Below we review four important aspects that can help ensure an effective whistleblower scheme, and which should be considered when assessing whether your procedures and system are optimally organized.
Communication
One of the most important functions of a whistleblower scheme is to allow employees to report offenses and serious issues in a safe and confidential environment. Therefore, it is crucial that the scheme is clearly communicated so that all employees know that it exists and how they can use it.
It's also important to ensure that new employees are equally aware of the whistleblower scheme. Communication about the scheme should be clear and easy to understand for everyone, and information should be presented in an easily accessible format.
A positive and encouraging approach to communicating about the scheme can build confidence that reports will be treated confidentially and effectively. However, it is important to remember that the absence of reports does not necessarily mean that there are no issues to report.
Wider awareness of the scheme and a high level of information can also act as a deterrent, increasing the likelihood that illegal practices will be reported when they are discovered, rather than lurking in the shadows.
Good internal and external communication about the whistleblower scheme also helps to raise your sustainability and responsibility profile. This supports a healthy work environment and a responsible management style.
Visible, accessible and simple
No matter how good your whistleblowing communication is, it's also crucial that it's visible, accessible and easy for employees to understand.
For many employees, reporting suspicion or knowledge of illegal or serious issues regarding colleagues, employer or the workplace in general can feel overwhelming
Therefore, ensuring a visible, accessible and simple reporting process is important for the effectiveness of the scheme. This avoids the process creating additional barriers that can ultimately lead to employees abandoning their reporting.
It is therefore important to discuss how the whistleblowing scheme can best be made visible so that all employees can easily find and use it. For example, if the scheme is only accessible via an intranet that not all employees have access to, this can reduce its effectiveness.
By optimizing the reporting process as much as possible, you strengthen the trust that you as management actually want to know and handle any illegal or serious issues.
Test
Companies have a duty to document that the whistleblower scheme allows for reporting in accordance with the law. At the same time, it is of course essential that reports are not lost due to technical problems, incorrect implementation or similar.
It is therefore important that the whistleblowing system is regularly tested to ensure that it is effective and works in line with the development of the organization.
Recipients and handling of reporting
It may be worth considering whether the whistleblowing scheme should be managed internally or externally, including who receives and processes reports.
Internal administration of the scheme can potentially limit its effectiveness.
- Firstly, reporting to a colleague can feel overwhelming for an employee, which can create a barrier to reporting.
- Secondly, it can be difficult for the person receiving the report to keep the information confidential from other colleagues
- Thirdly, the risk of confidential information being inadvertently or deliberately shared increases when the scheme is handled internally.
External administration, on the other hand, can increase confidentiality as an external administrator is not part of the collegial environment of the workplace. It can also increase trust in the scheme, as employees typically feel more confident that their report will be handled professionally and in accordance with the rules.
CLEMENS' whistleblower scheme
At CLEMENS, your company gets an effective and tailored whistleblower scheme, where you are sure to comply with the Whistleblower Act.
We also offer general advice on how your workplace can best integrate your whistleblower scheme and ensure its effectiveness.
The whistleblower scheme includes, among other things:
- A secure and easy-to-use platform with customizable setup and language options
- Standard whistleblower policy in Danish and English
- Guidance material
- A whistleblower scheme that complies with data protection regulations and ensures a high level of confidentiality
- Professional and confidential screening of whistleblower reports and handling communication with whistleblowers
read more about our whistleblower scheme here
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
