Are you a company with more than 50 employees, a local authority, a school or a publicly funded organisation and want to be sure you're meeting all the requirements of the new EU directive? FaceUp has you covered. We'll also monitor all risks and deadlines for you.
Protects whistleblowers
Compliant with EU Whistleblowing Directive
Trusted by more than 3,360 customers worldwide
Requirement | FaceUp solution |
---|---|
Set up a secure internal reporting channel which enables anonymous reports. | Whistleblowers can create reports through the FaceUp website, your own website, intranet or even through our mobile app. |
Designate an impartial person (assignee) who can receive and investigate reports from whistleblowers. | They'll receive access according to your organizational structure and type of report. We'll provide a contract template to the assignees and are happy to provide training. We can also offer external counsel services. |
Protect whistleblowers against retaliation. | Whistleblowers can communicate anonymously through FaceUp which ultimately is the best way to protect them from retaliation. |
Respond to the report and investigate it within the statutory time limit. | We automatically keep track of all deadlines, send you prompt smart notifications, and simplify all matters relating to the report. |
Maintain a secure archive system for individual reports from all sources. | The FaceUp administration area serves as an encrypted database of reports from all your communication channels. You can add comments, upload attachments, and save notes. |
Enable written and oral reporting. For oral whistleblowing reports, you can upload a recording or a transcript. | With FaceUp, the whistleblower can not only send text reports but also record anonymised voice messages. |
Ensure confidential communication between whistleblower and assignee. | Only designated assignees will have access to reports. Neither FaceUp nor any third party have access to them. |
Make the reporting channel accessible not only to your employees but also to other groups (contractors, job applicants...). | You can make FaceUp available to anyone you wish. This can be through a password, a direct link, QR code or your website. |
Ensure that whistleblowers receive a fair evaluation of the legitimacy of their report. | The whistleblower can see the status of their report by entering a unique code on the website. They can also receive a notification that their report has successfully reached the system. |
Inform the whistleblower of the steps taken to investigate their report. | Through FaceUp you can keep the whistleblower informed of everything they need to know. Their identity is protected during all communications, for as long as they wish it to be. |
Ensure a fair evaluation of the legitimacy of their report. | FaceUp offers the combination of maintaining the whistleblower's anonymity and the option of a follow up conversation. You can ask for further information and evaluate the legitimacy of the report. |
Post the authorized person's details online and provide remote access to reports. | We'll automatically create a profile for your organization so all the important information is available online. You can easily set up remote access yourself, as well as for the reporting channel. |
Create an internal wiki on the protection of whistleblowers and related legal documents. | In the FaceUp administration area there are free legal document templates for you to use. We can also put you in contact with approved partners who can create tailored versions for you. |
Allow whistleblowers to file a report with a regulatory body or to make it public. | We'll set up your system in such a way that makes it not only easier, but also safer for whistleblowers to report directly to you. Over 10,000 reports have already been submitted through us. |
Whistleblowing channel available 24/7. | You can put your trust in FaceUp. We have been running for over 5 years, are trusted by 2,700 organizations on 4 continents and have an in-house team of experienced developers working on our platform. |
Train the designated person in their responsibilities and record this training. | Both FaceUp and our partners can assist with training. You can find a free record template in the administration area. |
Process data in accordance with GDPR. | Full compliance with GDPR regulations and ISO 27001 certificated. |
The European Parliament and European Council approved a directive protecting those who report breaches of EU law, known as the "Whistleblowing Directive".
The European Directive guaranteeing the protection of whistleblowers and prohibiting any form of retaliation comes into force. Affected organisations should have an internal whistleblowing system in place.
Most EU countries have introduced laws which implement the requirements of the Directive. All private companies with more than 50 employees and autonomous areas of more than 5,000 inhabitants must implement a reporting channel.
We can walk you through the platform's features and answer your whistleblowing questions.
We can walk you through the platform's features and answer your whistleblowing questions.
We can walk you through the platform's features and answer your whistleblowing questions.
The EU Whistleblowing Directive was introduced in 2019 and aims to standardize the amount of protection whistleblowers receive in member states, by stipulating a range of requirements.
Yes. According to the EU Whistleblowing Directive, whistleblowers who report breaches must be protected and they should not face any retaliation. Other employees and stakeholders should also be educated about whistleblowing practices, according to the Directive.
According to the Directive, anyone with a ‘work-based relationship’ with an organization who reports misconduct and other forms of wrongdoing is considered a whistleblower and protected by it. This means standard employees, unpaid workers, freelancers, sub-contractors, suppliers and more.
The EU Whistleblowing Directive is for all organizations with more than 50 people. Under its stipulations, they must provide an internal whistleblowing channel, educate employees and other stakeholders about whistleblowing, protect whistleblowers who submit reports and prevent them from retaliation.
The Directive was adopted on October 23 2019 and came into force on December 16 2019. Organizations with 50-249 workers have until December 17 to implement an internal reporting channel.
Anonymous submissions are preferable for employers since they automatically prevent deliberate retaliation, for which they could be fined. If, in the future, a whistleblower accuses you of retaliation, you have a straightforward defense. Anonymity is also preferable for whistleblowers, as this may encourage them to report their issue internally rather than to government authorities or the media. Anonymous reporting is also beneficial for the whistleblower since, as mentioned, they are protected from retaliation and can speak openly and freely. They are also more likely to come forward in the first place if their identity is protected.
Set up a whistleblowing channel that is easy-to-use, secure, anonymous and so user-friendly that whistleblowers always choose to use it. Make sure colleagues know that it exists and encourage them to use it (we can help with this). All this means that your employees will turn to the whistleblowing channel in the first instance, rather than going outside the organization.
Yes, organizations with less than 250 employees can share a whistleblowing system. FaceUp is already set up for this eventuality. You can easily divide up the reporting form according to your organizational structure and set it up so that individual assignees only have access to the reports that they should.
Yes, it can. You can categorize access by authorized persons not only according to your organizational structure but also according to the categories of the individual initiatives. You can provide access to your colleagues, but also to an authorized external person. If you don't have such a person, we are happy to provide you with someone from our vetted partners. This external party can manage notification channels for multiple clients through their own administration area.
Issues covered by the EU Whistleblowing Directive include money laundering, poor data protection, transport safety, corruption, food and product safety, environmental protection, public health and others. In practice, employees can use such reporting channels to resolve any issue which they feel is inappropriate or unfair.
The EU Whistleblowing Directive will impose sanctions on those who attempt to prevent whistleblowing, stand in the way of whistleblowers, or reveal their identity.
The FaceUp whistleblowing platform is anonymous for whistleblowers, so there is no chance of their identity being revealed. All whistleblowing data is encrypted and cannot be accessed by anyone besides the designated assignees within your organization.
A whistleblower is someone who reports inappropriate behaviour. The EU Whistleblowing Directive applies to employees, freelancers, consultants, volunteers, job applicants, partners and anyone else who might obtain information about illegal activities within the workplace.