Keeping abreast of and complying with changing employment legislation is an ongoing challenge for charities. The new whistleblowing rules introduced with the adoption of the Protected Disclosures Act in January 2023 present a number of difficulties for employers.
New Statutory Guidance issued in November 2023 emphasised the importance of organisational culture, ethics and integrity as a key determining factor in how a successful protected disclosure channel will operate in practice.
All organisations with 50 or more employees (down from last year’s threshold of 250) are now required to have whistleblowing systems in place to ensure they are in line with the Protected Disclosures legislation and all public bodies, organisations designated as a Prescribed Person and private sector organisations should have regard to the guidance and be in general conformity with its principles.
Now is the time for Irish chaities to not only ensure their organisations are compliant with new laws but also to go above and beyond minimum requirements to instil best practices and foster a culture of transparency, accountability and trust in their workplaces.
As part of the Integrity at Work programme, Transparency International (TI) Ireland is hosting an online workshop to help employers to review their current systems for dealing with disclosures.
The workshop will address the following questions:
- What are the duties of charities under the amended Protected Disclosures legislation?
- How will charities be required to respond to and manage reports/disclosures?
- What support and resources are available to both workers and employers?
Tickets are available on Eventbrite.