No matter how good the anti-bribery policy of a corporation is, without awareness of their stakeholders, e.g., employers, employees, and partners, the policy will not make the anti-bribery system robust. An employee might encounter a red flag, but he/she might not be able to recognize it as bribery until the corporation finds it later after a great deal of loss. On the other hand, an employee recognizes a red flag or has evidence of occurring bribery, yet he/she has no idea how to report it and is afraid of retaliation.

Such circumstances hinder the effectiveness of the anti-bribery system and are a time bomb for corporations. Therefore, ISO 37001:2016 covers professional compliance programs in standard 8.9, which requires an organization to ensure that all personnel is aware of the reporting procedures as well as their rights and protections.

Also Read:

Why Your Corporation Should Treat Whistleblowers as Assets

Empowering the First Line of Defense

Background Screening As An Anti-Bribery Tool

The primary key to raising concerns of bribery, fraud and other forms of malpractices, is whistleblowing system. Under the standard, corporations should provide a secured reporting system that encourages whistleblowers to make a report in good faith and allows them to report anonymously.

Integrity, which has years of experience in the compliance industry, is ready to assist you in setting up and implementing your whistleblowing system as part of your anti-bribery program. Contact us today for more information.

Finally, to ensure all personnel is aware of existing anti-bribery policies, including the whistleblowing system, corporations should walk the talk and communicate it to stakeholders and primarily employees by conducting training. The training should cover the basic of the anti-bribery policies, which include but not limited to:

– Definition and limitation of what it is called ‘bribery.’

– Risks and damages that can result from bribery

– Their duties to comply with an anti-bribery system

– The consequences on employers, employees, and partners for not complying with the anti-bribery management system

– Procedure in reporting a case, whistleblowers’ rights and protection

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