Whistleblowing Policy

The Whistleblowing Policy has been put in place to ensure any concerns raised regarding any misconduct or an improper state of affairs or circumstances in relation to the Organization’s operations/business are dealt with effecctively, securely and appropriately. 

The Organization encourages the reporting of any instances of suspected unethical, illegal, corrupt, fraudulent or undesirable conduct involving the Organization’s business and provides protections and measures to individuals who make a disclosure in relation to such conduct without fear of victimization or reprisal.

This policy will be provided to all employees and officers of the Organization upon commencement of their employment or engagement.

Scope

This policy applies to any person who is, or has been, any of the following with respect to the Organization:

• Officer
• Employee
• Director
• Contractor (including sub-contractors and employees of contractors)
• Supplier (including employees of suppliers)
• Consultant
• Auditor
• Associate
• Relative, dependant, spouse, or dependant of a spouse of any of the above.

This policy is intended to apply to the above persons in all Uganda districts in which the Organization deliver its service.

Reportable conduct

You may make a report or disclosure under this policy if you have reasonable grounds to believe that an Organization director, officer, employee, contractor, supplier, consultant or another person who has business dealings with the Organization has engaged in conduct (Reportable Conduct) which is:

• Dishonest, fraudulent or corrupt
• Illegal (such as theft, dealing in or use of illicit drugs, violence or threatened violence and criminal damage to property)
• Unethical including any breach of the Organization’s policies such as the Code of Conduct; Oppressive or grossly negligent
• Potentially damaging to the Organization, its employees or a third party Misconduct or an improper state of affairs
• A danger, or represents a danger to the public or financial system; Harassment, discrimination, victimization or bullying.
• Any disclosures that do not fall within the definition of Reportable Conduct, will not qualify for protection.
• It will be at the Organization’s discretion whether it considers there is a reasonable suspicion that the Reportable Conduct is occurring and/or whether the conduct constitutes “misconduct or improper state of affairs”.

For the avoidance of doubt, Reportable Conduct does not include personal work-related grievances. A personal work-related grievance is a grievance about any matter in relation to a staff member’s current or former employment, having implications (or tending to have implications) for that person personally and that do not have broader implications for the Organization. Examples of personal work-related grievances are as follows:

• An interpersonal conflict between the staff member and another employee;
• A decision relating to the engagement, transfer or promotion of the staff member; A decision relating to the terms and conditions of engagement of the staff member;
• A decision to suspend or terminate the engagement of the staff member, or otherwise to discipline the staff member.

Personal work-related grievances should be reported to your manager or in accordance with the Organization’s Grievance Policy.

Making a Disclosure

The organization relies on its employees to maintain a culture of honest and ethical behaviour. Accordingly, if you become aware of any Reportable Conduct, it is expected that you will make a disclosure under this policy.

There are several ways in which you may report or disclose any issue or behaviour which you consider to be Reportable Conduct.

Internal Reporting

You may disclose any Reportable Conduct to the Whistleblower Protection officers; Human Resources Manager and Executive Director. You are also encouraged to contact the above Whistleblower Protection Officers to obtain any additional information you may require before making a disclosure or for any clarification regarding this policy.

If you are unable to use any of the above reporting channels, a disclosure can be made to an “eligible recipient” within the Organization. Eligible recipients include:

• Officer
• Directors
• Senior Managers
• Auditor or member of an audit team conducting an audit of the Organization
• Actuary

The Whistleblower Protection officer or the eligible recipient will safeguard your interests and will ensure the integrity of the reporting mechanism.

Anonymity

When making a disclosure, you may do so anonymously. It may be for the Organization to properly investigate the matters disclosed if a report is submitted anonymously and therefore the Organization encourages you to share your identity when making a disclosure, however you are not required to do so.

Where a disclosure has been made externally and you provide your contact details, those contact details will only be provided to a Whistleblower Protection officer with your consent.

Reporting to Regulators

You may also make a disclosure to the IGG’s Office in relation to a Reportable Conduct. You will be covered by the protections outlined in this policy if you have reported your concerns to IGG’s Office.

Reporting to a Legal Practitioner

You may choose to discuss your concerns with a legal practitioner for the purposes of obtaining legal advice or representation. You will be covered by the protections outlined in this policy if you have reported your concerns to a legal practitioner.

Public Interest and Emergency Disclosure

In certain situations, the conduct or wrongdoing may be of such gravity and urgency that disclosure to the media or a parliamentarian is necessary. Public interest and emergency disclosure can only be made to:

• A journalist, defined to mean a person who is working in a professional capacity as a journalist for a newspaper, magazine, or radio or television broadcasting service; or a Member of the Parliament.

You may only make public interest and emergency disclosure if:

• You have previously disclosed the information to IGG’s Office;
• At least 90 days has passed since the previous disclosure was made;
• You have reasonable grounds to believe that action is not being taken to address the matters which you have disclosed;
• You have reasonable grounds to believe that making a further disclosure to a journalist or member of parliament would be in the public interest;
• You have given written notification, including sufficient information to identify the previous disclosure to the authority to which the previous disclosure was made that you intend on making a public interest disclosure; and
• You have given written notification, including sufficient information to identify the previous disclosure to the authority to which the previous disclosure was made that you intend on making a public interest disclosure; and
• The extent of information disclosed is no greater than is necessary to inform the recipient of the misconduct or improper state of affairs.

You will be qualified for protection where you have made a public interest disclosure if:

• You have previously disclosed the information to IGG’s Office;
• You have reasonable grounds to believe that the information concerns a substantial and imminent danger to the health or safety of one or more persons, or to the natural environment; and
• You have given written notification, including sufficient information to identify the previous disclosure to the authority to which the previous disclosure was made that you intend on making a public interest disclosure; and
• No more information is disclosed than is reasonably necessary to inform the recipient of the substantial and imminent danger.

Investigation

The Organization will investigate all matters reported under this policy as soon as practicable after the matter has been reported. The Whistleblower Protection Officer will investigate the matter and where necessary, appoint an external investigator to assist in conducting the investigation. All investigations will be conducted in a fair, independent and timely manner and all reasonable efforts will be made to preserve confidentiality during the investigation.

If the report is not anonymous, the Whistleblower Protection Officer or external investigator will contact you, by your preferred method of communication to discuss the investigation process and any other matters that are relevant to the investigation.

Where you have chosen to remain anonymous, your identity will not be disclosed to the investigator or to any other person and the Organization will conduct the investigation based on the information provided to it.

Where possible, the Whistleblower Protection Officer will provide you with feedback on the progress and expected timeframes of the investigation. The person against whom any allegations have been made will also be informed of the concerns and will be provided with an opportunity to respond (unless there are any restrictions or other reasonable bases for not doing so).

To the extent permitted by law, the Whistleblower Protection Officer may inform you and/or a person against whom allegations have been made of the findings. The Organization will document the findings in a report however any report will remain the property of the Organization and will only be shared with you or any person against whom the allegations have been made if the Organization deems it appropriate.

Protection of Whistleblowers

The Organization is committed to ensuring that any person who makes a disclosure is treated fairly and does not suffer detriment and that confidentiality is preserved in respect of all matters raised under this policy.

Protection from Legal Action

You will not be subject to any civil, criminal or administrative legal action (including disciplinary action) for making a disclosure under this policy or participating in any investigation.
Any information you provide will not be admissible in any criminal or civil proceedings other than for proceedings in respect of the falsity of the information.

Protection against Detrimental Conduct

The Organization (or any person engaged by the Organization) will not engage in ‘Detrimental Conduct’ against you if you have made a disclosure under this policy.

Detrimental Conduct includes actual or threatened conduct such as the following (without limitation):

• Termination of employment
• Injury to employment including demotion, disciplinary action
• Alternation of position or duties
• Discrimination
• Harassment, bullying or intimidation
• Victimization
• Harm or injury including psychological harm
• Damage to a person’s property
• Damage to a person’s reputation
• Damage to a person’s business or financial position, or
• Any other damage to a person.

The Organization also strictly prohibits all forms of Detrimental Conduct against any person who is involved in an investigation of a matter disclosed under the policy in response to their involvement in that investigation.

The Organization will take all reasonable steps to protect you from Detrimental Conduct and will take necessary action where such conduct is identified. If appropriate, the Organization may allow you to perform your duties from another location or reassign you to another role (at the same level) or make other modifications to your workplace or your duties to protect you from the risk of detriment.

If you are subjected to Detrimental Conduct as a result of making a disclosure under this policy or participating in an investigation, you should inform a Whistleblower Protection Officer or eligible recipient in accordance with the reporting guidelines outlined above.

You may also seek remedies including compensation, civil penalties or reinstatement if:

• You suffer loss, damage or injury because of a disclosure; and
• The Organization failed to take reasonable precautions and exercise due diligence to prevent any Detrimental Conduct.

Protection of Confidentiality

All information received from you will be treated confidentially and sensitively.

You will not be required to provide your name when making a disclosure. To make a disclosure on an anonymous basis, it is recommended that you use a pseudonym and contact the Whistleblowing Protection Officers in the manner outlined above.

If you report on an anonymous basis, you will still qualify for the protections in this policy.

If you make a disclosure under this policy, your identity (or any information which would likely identify you) will only be shared if:

• You give your consent to share that information or
• The disclosure is allowed or required by law (for example where the concern is raised with a lawyer for the purposes of obtaining legal advice) or
• The concern is reported to IGG’s Office

Where it is necessary to disclose information for the effective investigation of the matter, and this is likely to lead to your identification, all reasonable steps will be taken to reduce the risk that you will be identified. For example, all personal information or reference to you witnessing an event will be redacted from any report, you will be referred to in a gender-neutral context, and where possible you will be contacted to help identify certain aspects of your disclosure that could inadvertently identify you. Any disclosure under this policy will also be handled and investigated by qualified staff.

The Organization will also take the following measures for protecting your identity:

• All paper and electronic documents and other materials relating to disclosures will be stored securely;
• Access to all information relating to a disclosure will be limited to those directly involved in managing and investigating the disclosure;
• Only a restricted number of people who are directly involved in handling and investigating a disclosure will be made aware of your identity (subject to your consent) or information that is likely to lead to your identification;
• Communications and documents relating to the investigation of a disclosure will not be sent to an email address or to a printer that can be accessed by other staff; and
• Each person who is involved in handling and investigating a disclosure will be reminded about the confidentiality requirements, including that an unauthorized disclosure of your identity may be a criminal offence.

If you are concerned that your identity has been disclosed in relation to disclosure, and without your consent, you should inform a Whistleblower Protections Officer or eligible recipient immediately.

Support Available

Any employee who makes a disclosure under this policy or is implicated as a result of a disclosure that is made may access the Organization’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which is a free and confidential counselling service on Contact Details.

Where appropriate, the Organization may also appoint an independent support person from the Human Resources team to deal with any ongoing concerns you may have.

Other Matters

Any breach of this policy will be taken seriously and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

In so far as this policy imposes any obligations on the Organization, those obligations are not contractual and do not give rise to any contractual rights. To the extent that this policy describes benefits and entitlements for employees, they are discretionary in nature and are also not intended to be contractual. The terms and conditions of employment that are intended to be contractual are set out in an employee’s written employment contract.

The Organization may unilaterally introduce, vary, remove or replace this policy at any time.

Employees are encouraged to read this policy in conjunction with other relevant Organization policies, including Code of Conduct and Grievance Policy.

Reporting Responsibility

No Retaliation

This Whistleblower Policy is intended to encourage and enable directors, volunteers, and employees to raise Concerns within the Organization for investigation and appropriate action. With this goal in mind, no director, volunteer, or employee who, in good faith, reports a Concern shall be subject to retaliation or, in the case of an employee, adverse employment consequences. Moreover, a volunteer or employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a Concern in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including dismissal from the volunteer position or termination of employment.

Reporting Concerns

Employees

Employees should first discuss their concerns with their immediate supervisor. If, after speaking with his or her supervisor, the individual continues to have reasonable grounds to believe the Concern is valid, the individual should report the Concern to the Director of Human Resources. In addition, if the individual is uncomfortable speaking with his or her supervisor, or the supervisor is a subject of the Concern, the individual should report his or her Concern directly to the Director of Human Resources.

If the Concern was reported verbally to the Director of Human Resources, the reporting individual, with assistance from the Director of Human Resources, shall reduce the Concern to writing. The Director of Human Resources is required to promptly report the Concern to the Chair of the Audit Committee, who has specific and exclusive responsibility to investigate all Concerns. If the Director of Human Resources, for any reason, does not promptly forward the Concern to the Audit Committee, the reporting individual should directly report the Concern to the Chair of the Audit Committee. Contact information for the Chair of the Audit Committee may be obtained through the Human Resources Department. Concerns may be also be submitted anonymously. Such anonymous Concerns should be in writing and sent directly to the Chair of the Audit Committee.

Directors and Other Volunteers

Directors and other volunteers should submit Concerns in writing directly to the Chair of the Audit Committee. Contact information for the Chair of the Audit Committee may be obtained from the Chief Financial Officer.

Handling of Reported Violations

The Audit Committee shall address all reported Concerns. The Chair of the Audit Committee shall immediately notify the Audit Committee, the President, the Executive Director, and the Chief Operating Officer of any such report. The Chair of the Audit Committee will notify the sender and acknowledge receipt of the Concern within five business days, if possible. It will not be possible to acknowledge receipt of anonymously submitted Concerns.

All reports will be promptly investigated by the Audit Committee, and appropriate corrective action will be recommended to the Board of Directors if warranted by the investigation. In addition, action taken must include a conclusion and/or follow-up with the complainant for complete closure of the Concern.

The Audit Committee has the authority to retain outside legal counsel, accountants, private investigators, or any other resource deemed necessary to conduct a full and complete investigation of the allegations.

Acting in Good Faith

Anyone reporting a Concern must act in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates an improper accounting or auditing practice, or a violation of the Codes. The act of making allegations that prove to be unsubstantiated, and that prove to have been made maliciously, recklessly, or with the foreknowledge that the allegations are false, will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offence and may result in discipline, up to and including dismissal from the volunteer position or termination of employment. Such conduct may also give rise to other actions, including civil lawsuits.

Confidentiality

Reports of Concerns, and investigations pertaining thereto, shall be kept confidential to the extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation.

Disclosure of reports of Concerns to individuals not involved in the investigation will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offence and may result in discipline, up to and including termination of employment. Such conduct may also give rise to other actions, including civil lawsuits.