The purpose of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 is to protect individuals who make certain disclosures of information in the public interest (protected disclosures). In particular, it protects workers from adverse treatment from employers and their colleagues. This Company supports the ethos behind that legislation, and should you have any concerns about how the business is run, you should consult the government advice on whistleblowing at https://www.gov.uk/whistleblowing and speak to your team leader or someone else more senior to raise such concerns.

Whistleblowing Policy

We are committed to conducting our business activities with honesty and integrity and we expect all our colleagues to maintain these high standard in their behaviours and actions. All suspected wrongdoing should be reported as soon as possible in accordance with this policy.

This policy covers all employees, officers, consultants, contractors, interns, casual workers and agency workers.

This policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment and we may amend it at any time.

What is whistleblowing?

Whistleblowing is the reporting of suspected wrongdoing or dangers in relation to our activities. This includes bribery, fraud or other criminal activity, miscarriages of justice, health and safety risks, damage to the environment and any breach of legal or professional obligations.

How to raise a concern?

We hope that in many cases you will be able to raise any concerns with your manager. However, where you prefer not to raise it with your manager for any reason, you should contact Sam Cole.

We will arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible to discuss your concern. You may bring a colleague or union representative to any meetings under this policy. Your companion must respect the confidentiality of your disclosure and any subsequent investigation.

Confidentiality

We hope that staff will feel able to voice whistleblowing concerns openly under this policy. Completely anonymous disclosures are difficult to investigate. If you want to raise your concern confidentially, we will make every effort to keep your identity secret and only reveal it where necessary to those involved in investigating your concern.

External Disclosures

The aim of this policy is to provide an internal mechanism for reporting, investigating and remedying any wrongdoing in the workplace. In most cases you should not find it necessary to alert anyone externally.

The law recognises that in some circumstances it may be appropriate for you to report your concerns to an external body such as a regulator. We strongly encourage you to seek advice before reporting a concern to anyone external. Public Concern at Work operates a confidential helpline. Their contact details are at the end of this policy.