Incidents of corruption and fraud are everyday news, and misdeeds are often uncovered by whistleblowers. Have you got a whistleblower policy and process in place? And if so, are your employees aware of it?
Companies should have a Whistle-blower Policy in place, and employees and management should be aware of.
A policy may differ company to company, but salient content could include:
- Rationale for a fraud and ethics reporting facility.
- Legal background, including Constitutional Rights.
- Policy spirit and objectives.
- Scope of the process.
- Reference to any existing and relevant policies and procedures.
- Whistleblower safeguards, protection, and rights.
- How and where to raise and escalate an allegation.
- Who will be dealing with the allegation, and what action follows.
- Consequences of false, dubious, or mischievous allegations.
When drafting a policy, put yourself in the shoes of the whistleblower and accused while also being fully versed on how the human rights constitution views the process.
https://www.sahrc.org.za/home/21/files/Human%20Rights%20FAQ%20Whistle%20Blowers%20Booklet.pdf
Ask Mubesko Africa’s Smartryk Calitz, honoured as South Africa’s Certified Fraud Examiner of 2023 by the ACFESA’s (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, South African Chapter) to assist you to draft a policy and process.
Mubesko Africa has a proud track record in the public and private sectors, with core services being financial and management consulting, asset accounting and modelling, and forensic investigation.