Whistleblower Policy – Generation UK & Ireland
Generation: You Employed, Inc. (“GYE”) and Generation affiliated-entities (“Affiliates”) (collectively “Generation”) require all employees, contractors, volunteers, trustees & board members (referred to as Team Members for this policy) to observe high standards of professional and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities.
To support these values and promote organisational integrity, Generation’s network-wide Whistleblower Policy enables Team Members, Learners, related parties, and others to raise any serious concerns without repercussion and with confidence that their concerns will be treated confidentially and investigated and resolved in a timely manner.
In the UK & Ireland, we fully endorse the principles of the Public Interest Disclosure Act. We assure you that you will not be at risk of losing your job or suffering any form of retribution as a result of raising an issue. This assurance does not extend to someone who maliciously raises a matter they know to be untrue.
Any Generation Team Member who is requested to engage in any activity that he or she believes may be illegal, could result in harm to Generation or be contrary to Generation’s policies, or who otherwise becomes aware of such activity, should report such information.
If you have a reasonable belief that any of the following trigger events have occurred, is occurring, or is likely to occur you should raise that concern as soon as possible.
Trigger events:
- A criminal offense
- Failure to comply with a legal obligation
- Miscarriage of justice
- Risk to someone’s health and safety
- Damage to the environment
Generation encourages reporters to submit complaints of potential wrongdoing either through Generation’s Ethics Hotline (www.generation.ethicspoint.com) or to the Global Compliance team (compliance@generation.org) in accordance with Generation’s network-wide Internal Investigations Policy. If you would like to submit a report anonymously, you may do so through the Hotline.
Complaints and related information will be kept confidential to the extent possible. In rare circumstances, such as situations involving court proceedings or regulatory bodies, Generation may be required to disclose certain information related to a complaint. Reporters of complaints will be notified if the information will be disclosed.
If you are not satisfied with the reason or explanation that was given to you you should raise the matter with the appropriate organisation or body, e.g. the Police, the Environment Agency, or Health and Safety Executive.
Generation prohibits any kind of retaliatory act, including harassment, intimidation, adverse employment actions, or any other form of retaliation, against an individual reporting such information. No one who in good faith reports any suspected issue or wrongdoing shall suffer harassment, retaliation, or adverse employment consequence.
Any Team Member or any other person who has raised a concern through the Whistleblowing procedure who believes that he or she has been subjected to any form of retaliation as a result of reporting a suspected violation under this policy should immediately report the retaliation either through the Hotline or to compliance@generation.org. A Team Member who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.