Whistleblowing Policy
The Company at all times conducts its business with the highest standards of integrity and honesty. It expects all employees to maintain the same standards in everything they do. Employees are therefore encouraged to report any wrong doing by the Company, or its employees, that falls short of these business principles.
The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 protects employees who report wrongdoing within the workplace, but it is the aim of this policy to ensure that, as far as possible, our employees are able to tell us about any wrongdoing at work which they believe has occurred, or is likely to occur.
We recognise that employees may not always feel comfortable about discussing their concerns internally, especially if they believe that the Company itself is responsible for the wrongdoing. The aim of this policy is to ensure that employees are confident that they can raise any matter with the Company that concerns them, in the knowledge that it will be taken seriously, treated as confidential, and that no action will be taken against them.
You are encouraged to use the procedure set out below if you have any concerns at all about wrongdoing at work, including any criminal offence, a failure to comply with legal obligations, a miscarriage of justice, a Health and Safety danger, an environmental risk or a concealment of any of these.
Procedure
If appropriate, discuss the matter with your Line Manager in the first instance.
Should you not feel comfortable in raising the issue with your line manager, then you should contact HR direct either via email to [email protected] , telephone call to 01708 330918, or in writing to Stanley House, 14 Falcon Business Centre, Ashton Road, Romford, RM3 8UR.
Alternatively you can submit anonymous feedback using our Values and Ethics Questionnaire via the staff area on our website, or by following this link.
We also offer third party support in the form of an outside company who can discuss any issues or concerns you might have. Should you want to make use of this facility then please contact HR through the channels mentioned. We will use this third company supplier as a go-between in an attempt to resolve any issues to your satisfaction.
An informal approach to a Line Manager/HR will be treated as completely confidential, and will not result in any report to anyone within the Company unless you agree.
If the matter requires further investigation, such an investigation will be carried out and you will be informed of the outcome of the investigation, and what, if any action has been taken.
If you remain unhappy about the speed or conduct of the investigation, or the way in which the matter has been resolved, you should refer the matter straight to a Director. When they have investigated your complaint they will tell you the result of the investigation and what, if any action, has been taken.
The Company undertakes that no employee who makes a bona fide report under this procedure will be subjected to any detriment as a result. In the event that you believe you are being subjected to a detriment by any person within the Company as a result of your decision to invoke the procedure you must inform your Line Manager immediately, and appropriate action will be taken to protect you from any reprisals.
If it should become clear that the procedure has not been invoked in good faith, for example, for malicious reasons or to pursue a personal grudge against another employee, this will constitute misconduct, and will be dealt with in accordance with the terms of the Company's disciplinary procedure.
The Company is keen to hear of any concerns that employees may have about wrongdoing at work, and encourages them to use the procedure described above wherever possible.
The Company recognises there may be matters that cannot be dealt with internally, and external authorities will need to become involved. Where this is necessary the Company reserves the right to make such a referral without your consent, and also accepts the right of employees under certain circumstances to make an external disclosure. However employees will be encouraged to fully utilise and exhaust the formal internal procedure, before exercising their right to do so.