Whistleblowing in light of the EU Directive | PRO HR December
2021.12.07
By the 17th of December this year, all European Union Member States will have to implement the Whistleblower Directive into their legal systems. In Poland, draft national legislation has been published and is currently in the consultation phase.
The Directive regulates the reporting of suspected violations of EU law in selected areas including public procurement, consumer protection, public health and data protection.
Employers in the private and public sector with at least 50 employees will have to comply with the new requirements. The largest entities (with at least 250 employees) will have very little time to comply with the obligations resulting from the Directive - the whistleblower protection system should be implemented there already by the end of this year.
The Directive imposes obligations on employers, such as:
- Establishing whistleblowing channels;
- Developing compliance procedures for receiving whistleblower reports;
- Registering notifications from whistleblowers and follow up on them (e.g. conduct an investigation);
- Ensuring the protection of whistleblowers (including keeping their identity confidential).
Find more in the PRO HR December 2021.