Misconduct at the workplace is bound to happen, but it’s not always easy to come forward and report it. The people that report it are called whistleblowers, and they are integral to the function and success of your service station.
To encourage more people to shed light on misconduct and act as whistleblowers themselves, it’s wise to implement a whistleblower policy. Under the law, whistleblowers are protected when they report misconduct, so having this in writing incentivizes the act even further.
A Whistleblower Policy
A whistleblower policy is located within your service station’s internal processes and is centred around whistleblowers coming forward with important information regarding misconduct.
Having such a policy reinforces and encourages ethical behaviour, along with explaining the ways in which the law protects a whistleblower.
Do I Need A Whistleblower Policy?
Public companies, large proprietary companies, and corporate trustees of APRA-regulated superannuation entities are required by law to have whistleblower policies. Even though most service stations do not fall under these categories, you are still encouraged to have a process in place to know how to handle whistleblower concerns. This way, when a whistleblower comes forward, they feel protected and know they are contributing to a safe, legal, and ethical workplace.
What Should My Whistleblower Policy Include?
A run-of-the-mill whistleblower policy will include:
- Protection measures for whistleblowers
- Methods in which whistleblowers can disclose misconduct
- How your service station will support whistleblowers
- Types of conduct that should be disclosed
- How information will be investigated
Protection Via Whistleblower Policy
A whistleblower policy should emphasise that a whistleblower is protected by the law in the following ways:
- Keeping their identity confidential
- Prohibiting others from threatening/causing harm to the whistleblower
- Providing compensation for any damage the whistleblower may have sustained due to their disclosure
Whistleblowers at Your Service Station
A whistleblower policy is the best practice to ensure that your employees feel safe in coming forward about questionable conduct. If they know they are protected under the law and will not receive backlash from others, they are more likely to disclose information – and the sooner you get ahead of reported misconduct, the better.
To assist you in the process, ServoPro has many HR, Work Health, and Safety templates for easy policy development, which can be accessed in your Member’s Portal.