Less than one year to go until the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive – Everything you need to know
There is now less than one year to go until the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive. By 17 December 2021 tens of thousands of organisations across all EU Member States will need to comply with this Directive and provide a whistleblowing channel for their employees. Over the last year WhistleB has written more than a dozen insightful blogs providing practical advice on the implications of the Directive. We have now gathered these in this “Everything you need to know” summary. Take a look through the list to get your company well on track with its preparations.
1. What are our obligations under the new EU Whistleblower Protection Directive?
We started with a series of frequently asked questions about the EU Directive. There are very specific obligations on the whistleblowing system to be implemented. In this blog we detail and give advice on seven of these requirements.
The fact that the EU Directive aims to encourage people to report on breaches of EU law means that it has a very wide scope. From environmental crime to corruption, this blog describes the broad range of issues that whistleblowers can report on while remaining legally protected.
3. By when must we have a whistleblowing solution up and running?
This is a highly relevant question as the first deadline approaches this year. Exactly when organisations need to be compliant with the new Directive depends on the size, number of employees and location of the organisation, and in some cases, the nature of business.
4. What does external reporting mean under the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive?
External reporting is a fairly controversial matter, and we received many questions about its inclusion in the new EU directive. What does external reporting imply for different stakeholders? Can a whistleblower report externally as a first option and be protected?
5. What is happening with the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive in different countries?
The Directive itself only provides the minimum level of requirements for whistleblower protection. By December 2021, each Member State needs to enact its local version as a whistleblower protection law. But each country is starting from a different point. This blog summarises the patchy landscape.
Many organisational leaders have been concerned that complying with the new Directive will mean additional time, costs and resources. But this does not need to be the case. This blog provides important guidance on the best team, people and skills involved for professional whistleblowing case management.
WhistleB’s solution adheres to the requirements of the EU Directive. Confidentiality, security, prompt feedback, diligent case management, GDPR compliance – these are all requirements of the Directive, and in this blog we explain how our solutions helps organisations comply.
While the Directive sets the requirements of the reporting channel, it does not stipulate the nature of channel to be implemented, such as telephone, e-mail or digital. We believe that companies will be well-positioned for compliance with a secure, simple-to-use, web-based system that incorporates both a reporting channel and a case management tool.
9. 3 tips for building a speak-up culture
Culture takes a long time to build, and a speak-up culture takes perhaps even longer as it needs to be built on trust. In this blog we highlight why waiting until the last minute could undermine the trust in the organisation’s newly implemented whistleblowing system, and we provide guidance on what can be done now.
For more details and tips, take a look at the WhistleB resource centre on the EU whistleblower protection directive. You might also be interested in a free trial of the WhistleB ‘Ready-to-Launch’ system to find out how it can help you comply.
