How small and medium-sized enterprises implement various laws, such as PIDA and EU Whistleblowing Directive

Whistleblower protection has been enshrined in UK law since 1999, when the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA) came into force, protecting whistleblowers in working environments. Now, the EU Whistleblowing Directive also obliges small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with more than 50 employees to introduce internal reporting channels. Even though the UK is no longer committed to implement the EU Whistleblowing Directive, it is still relevant for UK companies with operations in the EU.

With the digital whistleblowing system EQS Integrity Line Essential, you can fulfill the legal requirements quickly and easily and benefit from the simple operation for the whistleblower and caseworker.

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Benefits of whistleblowing systems for SMEs

Build a culture of trust and offer your employees the opportunity to actively speak out against grievances without fear of negative consequences.

Protect your employees and your company by identifying grievances early and intervening in time.

Minimise reputational damage, avoid high costs from potential penalties, and prevent grievances.

What you should consider

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Security

Securing the anonymity of the whistleblower is the most important thing. Make sure that the whistleblowing system is protected against unauthorised access by using the highest level of IT security.

Simplicity

The system should be straightforward to set up and easy for the whistleblower to use. Make sure the system is comprehensible to avoid hurdles during the submission process.

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Customisation

Your whistleblower system should be flexible enough to be tailored to your needs and company structures.

Flexibility

A whistleblower system should be able to be supplemented with an external ombudsperson or a voice-based solution if needed.

Compliance

Your digital whistleblowing system must comply with all legal requirements of the EU Whistleblowing Directive and EU GDPR.

EQS Integrity Line Essential: The ideal whistleblowing system for SMEs

The implementation of a suitable whistleblowing system does not have to be complicated.

With EQS Integrity Line Essential, we offer you a digital system with which even small and medium-sized companies can quickly and easily meet all the legal requirements of the EU Whistleblowing Directive. The system is easy to set up, access-proof, and ensures complete anonymity to the whistleblower at all times.

During the implementation of your whistleblowing system, our experts will be at your side to support you in successfully introducing it in your company.

Your advantages

What EQS Integrity Line Essential offers you

Adaptation to your corporate design

EQS Integrity Line Essential can be quickly and easily customised to your corporate design. Choose your desired colors and fonts, store your own images and add your company logo.

Anonymous feedback and communication

The anonymity of the whistleblower is maintained throughout the entire process. Through the secure mailbox, your caseworkers can communicate 100% anonymously with whistleblowers at any time and obtain further information about the case as needed.

Dashboards for real-time reporting

Increase the efficiency of your compliance reporting and always keep track of cases to be processed and closed. For this purpose, various dashboards as well as real-time data analysis are available to the case worker.

Legally compliant with all requirements

With EQS Integrity Line Essential, you can easily and securely meet the requirements of the EU Whistleblowing Directive and the EU GDPR. To ensure that the anonymity of the whistleblower is fully guaranteed, parts of a case can be anonymised or pseudonymised directly in the system in line with data protection requirements.

More on whistleblowing systems, PIDA and the EU Whistleblowing Directive

Whistleblowing Report 2021 Stand der Vorbereitungen zur EU-Richtlinie Icon | integrityline.com

Checklist

How to choose the right whistleblowing solution for your company

Identify your specific whistleblowing system requirements and select the right solution for your company.

Illustration two persons talking about a UK whistleblowing law

Blog

Spotlight on PIDA and whistleblowing in the UK

PIDA is the law protecting whistleblowers in the UK and it came into force on 2 July 1999.

White Paper

EU Whistleblowing Directive – Everything you need to know now

Learn more about the Directive’s requirements and get tips on how to meet them on time and efficiently.

EQS Integrity Line: certified security

Our whistleblowing hotline EQS Integrity Line meets the highest standards of IT security and data protection. Regular external security audits prove this.