NEWTECNIC WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY

Contents

  1. Aims of the Policy

  2. Scope

  3. Policy statement

  4. Policy approach

  5. Monitoring and evaluation

  6. Policy equality and diversity statement

1. Aims of the policy

This policy takes account of the Whistleblowing Arrangements Code of Practice issued by the British Standards Institute, Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, Public Concern at Work and any prevailing legislation. This policy does not form part of any employee's contract of employment and it may be amended at any time.

The aims of this policy are:

To encourage all staff to report suspected wrongdoing as soon as possible, in the knowledge that their concerns will be taken seriously and investigated as appropriate, and that their confidentiality will be respected.

To provide all staff with guidance as to how to raise those concerns.

To reassure all staff that they should be able to raise genuine concerns without fear of reprisals, even if they turn out to be mistaken.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all individuals working at all levels within Newtecnic, including senior managers, officers, directors, employees, consultants, contractors, trainees, part-time and fixed-term workers, collectively referred to as staff in this policy.

This policy should not be used for complaints relating to your own personal circumstances, such as pay and conditions of service. In those cases, you should use the Grievance Procedure.

If you are uncertain whether something is within the scope of this policy you should seek advice from a senior member of staff.

3. Policy statement

Newtecnic is committed to conducting its business with honesty and integrity and all staff are expected to maintain high standards. However, all organisations face the risk of things going wrong from time to time, or of unknowingly harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. A culture of openness and accountability is essential in order to prevent such situations occurring or to address them when they do occur.

4. Policy approach

Once you have raised a concern, we will inform you of the outcome of our initial assessment to determine the scope of any investigation. You may be required to attend additional meetings in order to provide further information.

In some cases, we may appoint an investigator or team of investigators, including staff, with relevant experience of investigations or specialist knowledge of the subject matter. The investigator(s) may make recommendations for change to enable us to minimise the risk of future wrongdoing.

We will aim to keep you informed of the progress of the investigation and its likely timescale. However, sometimes the need for confidentiality may prevent us giving you specific details of the investigation or any disciplinary action taken as a result. You should treat any information about the investigation as confidential.

If we conclude that a Whistleblower has made false allegations maliciously or with a view to personal gain, the Whistleblower may be subject to disciplinary action.

4.1 Definition

Whistleblowing is the disclosure of information which relates to suspected wrongdoing or dangers at work. This may include:

  • criminal activity;

  • miscarriages of justice;

  • danger to health and safety;

  • damage to the environment;

  • failure to comply with any legal or professional obligation or regulatory requirements;

  • bribery;

  • theft, financial fraud or mismanagement;

  • negligence;

  • conduct likely to damage Newtecnic's reputation;

  • unauthorised disclosure of confidential information;

  • the deliberate concealment of any of the above matters;

  • exploitation of individuals in receipt of a service and to whom a duty of care is owed;

A further list of examples we would expect to be reported that are not covered by the act are as follows; unfair discrimination, poor procurement; abuse of power; failure to take steps likely to result in avoidable loss, affect regulation or reputation. A Whistleblower is a person who raises a concern relating to any of the above. If you have any genuine concerns related to suspected wrongdoing or danger affecting any of our activities (a Whistleblowing concern) you should report these concerns under this policy.

4.2 Raising a Whistleblowing concern

We hope that in many cases you will be able to raise any concerns with a senior team member of Newtecnic. You may tell them in person or put the matter in writing if you prefer. They may be able to agree a way of resolving your concern quickly and effectively. In some cases they may refer the matter to the C-Suite or another senior member of staff.

However, where the matter is more serious, your concern is about your manager or you feel that your manager has not addressed your concern, or you prefer not to raise it with them for any reason, you should contact any C-Suite member.

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

We will take down a written summary of your concern and provide you with a copy after the meeting. We will also aim to give you an indication of how we propose to deal with the matter.

4.3 Confidentiality

We hope that all staff will feel able to voice Whistleblowing concerns openly under this policy. However, if you want to raise your concern confidentially, we will make every effort to keep your identity secret. If it is necessary for anyone investigating your concern to know your identity, we will discuss this with you before taking any action.

We do not encourage staff to make disclosures anonymously. Proper investigation may be more difficult or impossible if we cannot obtain further information from you. It is also more difficult to establish whether any allegations are credible.

Whistleblowers who are concerned about possible reprisals if their identity is revealed should come forward and appropriate measures can then be taken to preserve confidentiality. If you are in any doubt you can seek advice from Public Concern at Work, the independent Whistleblowing charity, who offer a confidential helpline. While we cannot always guarantee the outcome you are seeking, we will try to deal with your concern fairly and in an appropriate way. By using this policy, you can help us to achieve this.

4.4 Protection and support for Whistleblowers

It is understandable that Whistleblowers are sometimes worried about possible repercussions. We aim to encourage openness and will support staff who raise genuine concerns under this policy, even if they turn out to be mistaken.

Staff must not suffer any detrimental treatment such as dismissal, disciplinary action, threats, reassignment of duties or other unfavourable treatment as a result of raising a concern. If you believe that you have suffered any such treatment, you should inform a C-Suite member immediately. If the matter is not remedied you should raise it formally using the Grievance Procedure.

All Staff must not threaten or retaliate against Whistleblowers in any way. If you are involved in such conduct you may be subject to disciplinary action. In some cases, the Whistleblower could have a right to sue you personally for compensation in an employment tribunal.

5. Monitoring and evaluation

The C-Suite has overall responsibility for this policy, and for reviewing the effectiveness of actions taken in response to concerns raised under this policy.

The C-Suite also has day-to-day operational responsibility for this policy, and must ensure that all managers and other staff who may deal with concerns or investigations under this policy are aware of the contents and location of the document.

The C-Suite reviews this policy from a legal and operational perspective at least every two years. All staff are responsible for the success of this policy and should ensure that they use it to disclose any suspected danger or wrongdoing. Failure to report suspected danger, or wrongdoing may in itself lead to disciplinary action.

6. Policy equality and diversity statement

Newtecnic is committed to valuing and promoting equality and diversity. We recognise we have a duty to eliminate unfair treatment and discrimination in the services we provide and to promote and value respect in everything we do. We expect our staff to share these values and treat all clients with fairness and respect.