WHISTLE BLOWERS (PTY) LTD: PROTECTING WHISTLEBLOWERS GLOBALLY FOR OVER 14 YEARS! The success of Whistle Blowers (Pty) Ltd from 2000 has been based on the professionalism and skill of its staff in being able to protect the identity of a whistleblower. Whistle Blowers realises that the Protected Disclosures Act, Act 26 of 2000 (“the Act”) aptly dubbed the Whistle Blowers Act, plays a large role in protecting the whistleblower against OCCUPATIONAL DETRIMENT (however, does not protect the identity of a whistleblower). Whistle Blowers bridges the gap and offers total protection to the whistleblower. Whistle Blowers will protect the identity of a whistleblower at all costs. The experience of the directors of Whistle Blowers, gained during their many years within specialised police units, handling sensitive information, has led to a skilled team at Whistle Blowers being able to gather accurate information to get to the bottom of a particular illicit activity to aid in investigation, without exposing the identity of a whistleblower. The trust relationship between the whistleblower and the Whistle Blowers staff is regarded as of the utmost importance and the whistleblower is guided throughout the process of disclosing information. At no time would Whistle Blowers make the identity of a whistleblower known. In recent times the effort and commitment from Whistle Blowers’ clients in induction and training of Whistle Blowers policies and procedures, has given employees confidence in knowing that their identity will be protected and therefore a large number of whistleblowers are comfortable with supplying Whistle Blowers with their contact details, resulting in ongoing communication between the whistleblower and Whistle Blowers to gather accurate information. History shows us that from time to time whistleblowers feel comfortable dealing with trusted people within an organisation or external investigators and this may sometimes be necessary to conclude an investigation. Whistle Blowers would facilitate such an interaction by obtaining the necessary information or contact details of the trusted 3rd party for the whistleblower to make contact at their own discretion. Whistle Blowers’ accreditation with the Ethics Institute of South Africa and the audits done, which include lie detector tests done on Whistle Blowers staff, gives whistleblowers even more confidence in coming forward, knowing their identity will be kept confidential. With a global footprint, presently providing hotline facilities to companies in South Africa, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Egypt, Zambia, DRC, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Swaziland, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, we are proud to have partnered with our clients in providing reliable facilities that suit their needs. Internal vs Independent Whistle Blowing Lines Some organisations provide an internally managed whistle blowing line as an option for employees to report wrongdoing. Reports to this line are usually routed to an employee somewhere in the organisation, generally in Human Resources, Legal or the Ethics office. An internal programme may seem attractive, but there are some serious potential drawbacks. For instance, if employees realise they are calling an internal number, they may be afraid that their identity could be traced and decide not to submit the report. There are also operational issues, such as the potential for inconsistent handling of sensitive information and callers encountering voicemail responses. An internal whistle blowing line also leaves the organisation vulnerable to charges of covering up issues involving management. In comparison, an independent external process provides greater safeguards of anonymity and avoids even the hint of impropriety. An external facility is also more attractive for a whistleblower to contact from home or another location outside the office, as there is less fear of detection. It is also important to evaluate what happens on the back end of the whistle blowing line and shows confidence and commitment from senior management with regard to ethics, honesty and transparency. While there are costs associated with an external whistle blowing line, the financial investment is small compared to the potentially disastrous financial repercussions associated with malfeasance that could go undiscovered. With the expertise, trained personnel, resources and technology already established to operate a whistle blowing facility and conduct quality assurance, a professional whistle blowing facility provider can usually provide these services for much less than it would cost to implement them internally. Impact of Independent Hotline: ACFE Report to the nations on occupational fraud and abuse, 2014 global fraud study No.1 Detection! ACFE Report to the nations on occupational fraud and abuse, 2014 global fraud study Source of Tips ACFE Report to the nations on occupational fraud and abuse, 2014 global fraud study Get in contact with us should you require additional information or have decided you would like to take the proactive measures of implementing a whistle blowing service. News We all continually read about fraud, ethics and dishonesty in our respective work environments; the media publicises enough of it. The question that is least answered is, “What are we doing to stop it?” Certified Whistle Blowers (Pty) Ltd is also proud to be an accredited member of the Ethics Institute of South Africa. Join us If you are not already making use of our services, do not hesitate to contact us now and join our fight against corruption. 0860 005 111 admin@whistleblowing.co.za www.whistleblowing.co.za