WHISTLE BLOWER TERMS OF SERVICE

WEB PORTAL

In providing this service the organisation has determined that there is a need for improvement and a need to verify how effective the current systems are for preventing issues.

This service by WBS is a reasonable and practical way to achieve this.

If you intend to use this service there a few things you need to understand.

CONFIDENTIAL

We do not provide the information direct to the organisation.  We try to remove information that might identify you as the source of the information.  To do this we need as much information as possible so that we can determine the best way to present the information.

For example if there were only two people who observed the incident, you and the person who’s conduct is of concern, then just reporting the incident will not be enough to protect confidentiality.  You will need to work with us as we present the information without breaching confidentiality.

ANONYMOUS

We do not provide the information direct to the organisation.  We try to remove information that might identify you as the source of the information.  To do this we need as much information as possible so that we can determine the best way to present the information.

For example if there were only two people who observed the incident, you and the person who’s conduct is of concern, then just reporting the incident will not be enough to protect your identity.  You will need to work with us as we present the information without disclosing your identity.

RESULT

We will provide a report to the organisation.  To develop the report we may check with you to verify or clarify information and ensure that the incident or issue can be presented in the report to enable action by the organisation.

COMMUNICATION

We have established a general help desk to assist with using the technology.  We would prefer that you use the web portal technology to communicate with us.  We accept that this may create delays, however the technology provided confidential and anonymous reporting and has been installed for your benefit.

The online process is also secure and encrypted across the internet.

DO NOT provide Us with information to identify you (Name, Driver Licence Number; job title, when you started work, etc). In this way your access will not be traced.

DO NOT download the software on you work network or work computer.  Please download the software on your own device Personal Computer, Laptop, Tablet or mobile phone.  In this way your access will not be traced.

DO NOT access (view or download) work policies and procedures through your work network.  If the conduct is not right, we will work this through based on the policies and procedures. In this way your access will not be traced.

DO NOT discuss with your work colleagues or others your concerns, information you have, what you observed, what you propose to do or what you are doing. These actions will all compromise the confidentiality of our process and may need to the loss of your anonymity.

DO NOT make personal contact us to discuss you complaint.  Given the sensitivity all data is captured online.  If you need to contact us urgently please use the online system which provides real time relay.

DO NOT provide or make accessible your unique reference number to another person.

NEVER acknowledge you have raised the issue EVEN if someone says that work for us.  We only provide comments through the online system and will not contact you directly UNLESS specifically requested by you and agreed to by Us.  Any person saying they are from us, THEY ACTING INAPPROPRIATELY. PRACTICE AND BE PREPARED TO LIE or DISMISS the request by saying I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.  If you receive a request from anyone, even a friend, let us know as soon as possible through the online service

NEVER acknowledge in your workplace or with work colleagues that you have raised the issue.  We will not have disclosed this.  Your organisation will not be expecting to know or disclose.  Any person asking this question has no authority to do so.  THEY ACTING INAPPROPRIATELY. PRACTICE AND BE PREPARED TO LIE or DISMISS the request.  IF you receive a request from anyone, even a friend, let us know as soon as possible through the online service

BE ALERT BUT NOT PARANOID

With reporting comes a heightened sense of concern that you are doing something wrong.  Be assured this system has been set up to support people to do the right thing and report.  People who counsel you not to report or who have a vested interest in the ongoing wrongdoing may put pressure on you to not disclose or to confirm that you have disclosed.  This is contrary to your organisation’s commitment and should be reported to us.

Once you have decided to report, focus on your work.  While it may seem easy to write this, the more you think about the information or incident the more distracted you become.  While you may worry about the information and the progress of the issue, we can only progress to a report once we have all of the information and this may take some time.

Once you have got the issue of your chest, it is up to us to progress the issue.  Remember although you may have identified something that is not right, with other information the real issue might be very different.

Accordingly you need to be detached from the issues and this will enable you to be confident when people challenge you.

We have your identity under control, please do not act in a way that discloses your identity.

WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN

We cannot guarantee the outcome of the investigation, the terms of the report and how the organisation might act on the report.  However if you expect action against an individual, this will need to be tempered by a number of factors including:

  • Strength, reliability, and age of the incident and the event
  • Existing policies and procedures, as in some cases these documents are not sufficient and need to be updated
  • Perceived exposure of the organisation, as in some cases while there is a valid incident the organisation does not place the important compared to other issues
  • The need to obtain evidence through an alternative pathway separate to or in addition to the information provided by you

We will not provide you with a report.  We will let you know that we have finished the investigation.

COOPERATION

We will work with your to articulate the issue in a way that the organisation can investigate.  The objective is to combine your knowledge, the organisation standards and our experience to provide information for the organisation to act on.  In some cases this can be straight forward, ie credit card fraud.  In some circumstances one piece of information may indicate a broader more complex problem that requires a sophisticated approach.

In providing information we ask that the action is genuine and NOT:

  • vexations or frivolous
  • done in retaliation
  • part of bullying or other inappropriate behaviour

In providing information we ask that you assist us by:

  • providing accurate and complete information
  • informing us where you consider there might be other information or areas for consideration
  • informing us of key information where possible:
    • date(s) and time(s)
    • location
    • background and history leading up to the incident
    • people involved and their roles
    • people involved and their connections inside/outside the organisation
    • people present
      • their observations
      • purpose of the meeting
      • records of the meeting (written, audio, audio visual)
    • documents belonging to:
      • the organisation (policies, procedures, etc)
      • your work area (policies, procedures, reports, emails, submissions, etc)
      • you (notes, comments, etc)
    • logging on WEEKLY to check to see if there is an update

ONE OR MORE ISSUE

While business and work areas can be complex and have multiple sources, we will endeavour to keep issues discrete.  This has a number of benefits.  Where you raise multiple issues, we may create separate cases and provide more than one unique reference number.  Where possible please use the relevant unique reference number.

UNIQUE REFERENCE NUMBER

Please keep this secure but accessible.  We cannot locate your data without this reference and you will not be able to login without this unique reference number.  While this may be annoying, this approach is critical to protecting you!

PREPARING TO PROVIDE INFORMATION

All you need to do is provide the information that you have.

DO NOT go looking for more information, as this may affect your anonymity.

DO NOT access the organisation’s documents, as this may affect your anonymity. We will do this as part of our report preparation

DO NOT download documents from your system, as this may affect your anonymity.

DO NOT copy documents to a USB, as this may affect your anonymity.

DO record the details by writing them down.

DO type them into our online portal.

DO upload documents from your personal computer using the online portal.  We will remove any metadata if you have not done so.

DO NOT try to make the out the “case for the prosecution”.  It is out task to identify what is happening and this may include by referencing other material or other concerns raised by other people.  We will come back to you on areas that need clarification.  WE WILL NOT ask you to obtain “evidence” for Us.

 

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