Why set up a Notification Channel?
Studies show that companies that invest in sustainable business get a 5–15-year head start over their competitors. A notification channel is a part of a company’s responsible operations, and it is required and appreciated by personnel, customers and stakeholders.
With the help of the Finland Chamber of Commerce’s Notification Channel service, your organisation will be able to provide whistleblowers with an anonymous and reliable way to report malpractice and irregularities at an early stage. The processors receiving notifications in the service will be able to manage and process notifications easily. The Notification Channel makes it possible for your organisation to meet the requirements of the upcoming whistleblower protection law.
Who should be able to submit a notification?
At a minimum, an organisation’s current employees must be able to submit notifications.
Protection against retaliation is also given to
- current and former employees as well as jobseekers
- potential volunteers and trainees
- employees of subcontractors and suppliers
- shareholders
If the organisation has set up a notification channel solely for its personnel, the other persons mentioned above can report their concerns directly to the authority’s notification channel. Notification channels are therefore often activated for all of the groups mentioned above.
Plan internal processes when activating a notification channel:
1. Name the person or unit responsible for operating the notification channel
2. Plan notification processing procedures that are appropriate for your organisation, while taking data protection and data security into account:
- Who in your organisation is responsible for receiving, processing and following up on notifications?
- What steps are being taken to ensure that the deadlines for processing notifications are met?
- How often and to whom are notifications reported?
- Where are received notifications archived, and what information is stored in the archive?
3. Ensure that your personnel and stakeholders can find your company’s notification channel. The channel’s existence can be communicated to personnel in, for example, the intranet, and to other stakeholders on the organisation’s website. State the notification channel’s purpose clearly.