Why whistleblowing matters |
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With the EU Whistleblowing Directive now in force, GoodCorporation has seen a sharp rise in the number of organisations reviewing and strengthening their whistleblowing or speak-up progammes. Although the UK is under no obligation to introduce legislation in response to the Directive, UK companies with operations in Europe are likely to be affected.
But this goes beyond legal compliance. There is a growing recognition that effective whistleblowing or speak-up forms a key component of risk management. Where a good speak-up/listen-up culture exists, it creates an early warning system, allowing problems to be identified and rectified before they escalate into a crisis.Successful speak-up systems combine effective whistleblowing processes, communications and most importantly trust. This ensures that stakeholders have the confidence to raise concerns through the right channels without fear of futility or reprisal.
However, making whistleblowing work requires careful planning. This means understanding the culture of the organisation, identifying any barriers to speaking up that may exist and developing clear policies and procedures that will work for the organisation as a whole.GoodCorporation offers a range of services to help companies test and strengthen speak-up systems, including policy development, system reviews, assessing speak-up culture to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement, as well as developing communications, training and reporting programmes.
In our latest blog, we explore the steps companies should take in order to build an effective speak-up system.
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Embedding ethical practice in UK engineering
GoodCorporation has been engaged by the Royal Academy of Engineering to conduct a review of ethical culture and practices in UK engineering.
UK engineers, technicians, companies and professional bodies are being invited to participate in a series of surveys and in-depth interviews designed to show the extent to which ethics is embedded in UK engineering.
The need for the review was identified by the Engineering Ethics Reference Group (EERG), a joint initiative of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Council, in a report published in February and entitled "Engineering Ethics: Maintaining Society's Trust in the Engineering Profession". The report outlined a new vision for ethics in the sector and proposed a series of actions to embed ethical engineering in the UK profession.
The Royal Academy of Engineering is committed to promoting ethical practice in the engineering profession as part of its overall strategy to help secure a globally responsible, inclusive and sustainable economy.
GoodCorporation's review is expected to be released this autumn. If you would like to participate in the research, find out more via the link below.
Devastating impact of climate change on human rights
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Earlier this year the United Nations published its most recent report on the impact of climate change. In it, the authors concluded that the human influence on global warming is undeniable and causing rapid, widespread changes beyond the natural variation of the climate, including extreme weather events. The report also found that while all ecosystems and populations are affected, vulnerability to climate change is not the same in all geographical areas. Indeed, in many parts of the world, existing inequalities such as the marginalisation of certain categories of population or the systems of governance mean that the most vulnerable populations are often disproportionately affected by climate change. In response, the report calls for a long-term, multi-sector approach to build resilience, involving governments, civil society and the private sector. Many businesses are already looking for climate change adaption measures to reduce their negative impacts on the environment. Our latest blog looks at some of these measures and explores the steps businesses must take to integrate human rights considerations into their climate change mitigation measures.
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GoodCorporation has ventured into the realms of podcasting and has now produced a number of short podcasts on our anti-corruption and whistleblowing services.
Our latest podcast on whistleblowing examines the two pillars of effective speak-up; trust and communication. We also examine the role of senior management and the importance of training.
GoodCorporation's first Business Ethics debate of 2022 looked at whistleblowing and asked whether new legislation in the EU and UK will make whistleblowing the norm rather than the exception in the corporate world.
With thanks to our host Baroness Neville Jones, to Georgina Halford-Hall who led the discussion and to the many guests who contributed to a thought-provoking debate.
Earlier this year, we took part in the EQS webinar series It's time to speak up! where we examined the steps businesses can take to ensure their whistleblowing systems are well embedded.
In our webinar we explore the key drivers that create an ethical corporate culture and drill down further to show which of these are critical to building an effective speak-up culture.
The 2022 Chatham House Responsible Business Conference examined the future of corporate leadership with a focus on ESG.
GoodCorporation director Gareth Thomas joined the panel to discuss the role of regulators, business and the finance sector in embedding social and environmental commitments into business models and activities. Our latest blog explores some of the key points raised in the discussion.