The Company aims to run its operations in strict compliance with the law, with health and safety requirements and with respect for the environment. It expects all members of staff to maintain the same standards in everything they do. You are therefore requested to report any wrongdoing by the Company or its staff members, which fall short of these business principles.
The Public Interest Disclosure Act protects employees who report wrongdoing within the workplace, but it is the aim of this policy to ensure that, as far as possible, our staff are able to tell us about any wrongdoing at work which they believe has occurred or is likely to occur.
We recognise that you may not feel comfortable about discussing any concerns internally, especially if you believe that the Company is responsible for the wrongdoing. The aim of this policy is to ensure that you are confident that you can raise any matter with the Company that concerns you in the certainty that it will be treated seriously, treated as confidentially if you wish and that no action will be taken against you.
You are encouraged to use this procedure if you have any concerns about any wrongdoing at work. Please note that you will not be expected to prove that anything has happened. All we want you to do is raise any suspicion, which you may have.
The wrongdoing, which we want to know about, is as follows:
- A criminal offence has been committed by the Company or any of its employees or sub-contractors in the course of their work, or that this is happening or is likely to happen
- The Company or any employee or sub-contractor in the course of their work has failed to comply with any legal obligation or that this is happening or is likely to happen
- The health and safety of any individual has been endangered or that this is happening or is likely to happen. The individual in danger could be an employee, a sub‑contractor, a customer or someone unrelated to the Company
- The environment has been damaged or that this is happening or is likely to happen
- Information which would show anything falling within any of the categories above has been deliberately hidden or that this is happening or is likely to happen
- Misuse of e-mail, Internet or company telephones.
You can raise a concern in two ways as follows, depending on which you feel most comfortable with.
- You can raise it with your manager who will raise it with a director on your behalf.
- Alternatively, you may raise your concerns with any director of the Company, directly.
If you wish to tell us about any matter on a confidential basis, it will be kept on that footing.
The matter will be investigated by the director in an independent and objective manner and, if relevant, as sensitively as possible. The director will endeavour to complete the investigation and notify you of the result within 21 days. If it is not possible to do this, the director will update you of the progress of the investigation after 21 days and inform you by when you can expect to hear the result.
You will not be subject to any detriment for raising any concern, which falls within the categories set out above, in line with this procedure, if you do so in good faith. If you should believe that you are being treated detrimentally by anyone within the company because you have used this procedure, you should inform a director immediately and appropriate action will be taken to protect you from reprisals.
Any complaints not made in good faith, for example, for a malicious reason, will be treated as a disciplinary offence.
The effectiveness of this procedure will be monitored.