whistleblowing
At ELE, doing the right thing matters. This policy is here to guide you if you ever spot something at work that feels off, whether it’s dangerous, illegal, or just plain unethical.
Who This Policy Applies To
This applies to everyone who works with us. Employees, contractors, consultants, officers, interns, casual staff, and agency workers. It covers you all.
If you are an employee, remember this policy isn’t part of your employment contract. We might update it when needed.
What Is Whistleblowing?
We set high standards for integrity, but we’re realistic. Things can go wrong. If you see something that shouldn’t be happening, we want you to speak up. That’s whistleblowing. We take it seriously, we’ll investigate it properly, and we’ll make sure you’re protected.
Here’s what you might want to flag:
- Anything criminal, like tax evasion
- Risks to health and safety
- Environmental damage
- Breaches of our Bribery Policy
- Breaking legal or regulatory obligations
- Failing to meet professional standards
- Trying to cover any of this up
If you’re unsure whether something fits here, talk to your manager or a Director. If it’s more about how someone is treating you, check our Harassment and Bullying Policy or Grievance Policy.
How to Raise a Whistleblowing Concern
Usually, start with your manager. Talk in person or put it in writing. If that’s not an option, or the issue is serious, go straight to one of the Company’s directors.
When raising a concern, make it clear it’s under this policy. Give the details, what happened, when, where, and who was involved.
We’ll invite you to a meeting to talk it through. You can bring a colleague or trade union rep along. We’ll ask you both to keep things confidential during and after the process.
After the meeting, we’ll investigate. We might need more info or bring in specialists. We’ll keep you updated on how it’s going, though we might not be able to share every detail to protect confidentiality.
We’ll handle your concerns fairly. But we can’t promise the outcome will be exactly what you hoped for. If you’re not happy with how we’ve handled things, you can take it to one of our board directors.
Most people raise concerns in good faith, but if someone makes a false claim on purpose, they could face disciplinary action, including dismissal.
Confidentiality and Anonymity
We prefer openness but understand you might want to stay under the radar. There’s a difference between keeping your identity confidential and reporting anonymously. We don’t encourage anonymous reports. It makes investigating tricky. Without the chance to ask questions, we might not be able to get to the bottom of things.
If you want to keep your identity confidential, let us know. We’ll do our best to protect it and will only share your name if it’s absolutely necessary, and we’ll talk to you first.
How We Protect Whistleblowers
If you raise a genuine concern, we’ll have your back, even if it turns out there was no issue. If you feel you’re being treated badly for speaking up, tell your manager. If that doesn’t fix it, follow our Grievance Policy.
We won’t tolerate anyone mistreating someone who’s raised a concern. If they do, they could face disciplinary action, including dismissal.
Taking Your Concerns Outside the Company
We prefer to deal with concerns in-house, but in rare cases, you might need to go to an external body, like a regulator. The charity Protect can guide you to the right place.
If your concern involves a third party, like a supplier or client, come to us first. We’ll help you figure out the next steps.
Going to the media should be a last resort. We strongly discourage it, especially before or during an internal investigation. Doing so without proper cause could lead to disciplinary action, including dismissal. We expect you to use internal channels and seek advice from Protect or a lawyer before going public.
At ELE, we want to create a workplace where people feel safe to speak up. If something’s not right, say so. We’re here to listen and take action.