On 17th December 2021, the European Union unveiled the Whistleblower Directive (EUWD). It ensures common minimum standards of protection are in place in all 27 member states to protect those who Speak Up about breaches of EU laws from retaliation or recrimination.
If you’ve yet to implement changes in your business to comply with the Directive, here are the top 10 things you need to know.
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Why the directive is necessary
Which organizations are affected by the change
How Vault can help your organization comply
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Hotline | Third Party | Bot/AI | Other Tech Solutions | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employee accessibility | High accessible mobile app. Open Reporting enables solution for entire ecosystem. | Low accessibility - hotlines only account for 6% of reports. Need to find the hotline number to start | Third party increases friction into the process. Employer seem less accountable. | Lacks sophistication required to deal with a very human-centric process Human will have to step in at some point | Focus on ‘employee empowerment’ not employer enablement. Often connect employees with legal resources. |
Two way communication | Yes, in the users language directly from the App and Resolution Hub. Yes, even if anonymous. | Call centres that take a message. Follow up can only happen if employee identifies themselves. | Third party increases friction. Hand over has to take place. | Handover to a human is required to progress the case. | Many solutions prepare an employee for legal action and/or involve a third party. |
Multi language support | In-App support for all required languages. No Management needed. | Need an operator with call centres offering each required language. Or partner with multiple suppliers | Need a provider offering each required language. Or partner with multiple suppliers | Multi-language is possible but has to had over to a human at some point. | Multi-language may be possible. |
Anonymous reporting | Anonymous reporting with two-way communication. Also GoTogether (strength in numbers) reporting. | Yes, but follow up is difficult without identifying the reporter. | Yes, but follow up is difficult without identifying the reporter. | Yes, but follow up is difficult without identifying the reporter. | Yes, but follow up is difficult without identifying the reporter. |
Data, confidentiality & security | Independent instance. Data encrypted in-transit and at rest. ISO27001 certified. Restricted access to case data. | Yes, but follow up is difficult without identifying the reporter. | Information is collected by a third party increasing the risk profile. | Information is collected by a third party increasing the risk profile. | Information may be collected by a third party. Or data may need to flow through other systems, increasing the risk profile. |
Scalability & enterprise capability | Vault Platform was built for enterprises. Ideal for organizations of 100 employees to tens of thousands. | Widely adopted by enterprises but not fit for purpose. Only used in 6% of incident reports. | Need a provider offering each required language, or partner with multiple suppliers. Multiple clients served by same resources. | Information is collected by a third party increasing the risk profile. | Information may be collected by a third party. Or data may need to flow through other systems, increasing the risk profile. |
Case management | Resolution Hub is a case management system. Case data is centralized in one location with a full audit log. Board-ready insight into progress and problem areas. | Either induce their own case management system. Or need plugging in to a third party. | Various options with different capabilities. | Various options with different capabilities. May need to connect to a third party or in-house case management system. | Many connect employees with legal support directly. Not focused on solving the problem internally. |
Report routing | Automated routing based on multiple attributes (location, language, category of misconduct, etc.) Collaboration between different teams. | Various options with different capabilities. | Third party involvement increased friction. | Various options with different capabilities. | Various options with different capabilities. |
Features | Vault | Hotline | Bot/ AI | Third Party | Other Tech Solution |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employee accessibility | Mobile app & web reporting | Phone; handled by a call center | Resolution requires human intervention and handover | Third party adds friction. Employer less accountable | Focus on connecting employees with lawyers, increasing risk of lawsuits |
Two-way communication | Yes, even if anonymous | No | No | Possible; handover needed | Possible |
Multi-language support | Yes | May need multiple providers | Possible | May need multiple providers | May need multiple providers |
Anonymous reporting | Yes, with two-way chat | Yes, but no followup | Yes, but no followup | Yes, but no followup | Yes |
Data confidentiality & security | Unique instance for every client; ISO27001 compliant | Third party handles data | Third party handles data | Third party handles data | Many connect employees with lawyers. Third party handles data |
Scalability & enterprise capability | Designed for enterprise | Legacy solution. Shared resource | Human required for resolution | Shared resource with other clients | Shared resource |
Case management | Resolution Hub; Data & Analytics | In some cases | In some cases | In some cases | In some cases |
Report routing | Automated routing; multi-team collaboration | Manual/third party process | Manual process | Manual/third party process | Manual/third party process |