The purpose of whistleblower protection is to provide employees with a safe way to report any abusive practices they detect in the course of their work.
See what whistleblower protection is about in the video. The video is subtitled in Finnish and Swedish. Video: Tussitaikurit Oy / Marker Wizards Ltd.
Whistleblower protection aims to improve the transparency of activities and good governance in different organisations and to promote the realisation of the public interest in several areas of legislation.
Whistleblowers, in other words persons who report abusive practices, often have access to such information relating to a suspected breach that the management of the organisation or the public authorities would not otherwise obtain. Thus, whistleblowers play a key role in exposing abusive practices, and therefore they must be provided with protection.
Did you discover a suspected infringement or misconduct in the course of your work? - Instructions for employees
Consider the following
Do you have a legitimate reason to believe that your information is true?
You do not need to have comprehensive evidence of the misconduct, but the most important thing is that you make the report in good faith. Protection cannot be granted if the information provided is clearly false or based on hearsay.
Do you have a legitimate reason to believe that the case falls under the scope of the Finnish Whistleblowers Act?
You do not need to be completely certain about the matter, as the scope of the law is broad and difficult to fully grasp.
How should you report the information?
The report should primarily be made through the organization’s internal channel, which is mandatory in organizations with 50 or more employees. In certain situations, you may submit the report directly to the centralized channel of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice.
The report can be made in writing or orally or both.
Organisations are free to decide whether they accept oral or written reports or both. In addition, organisations are free to decide whether whistleblowers must give their name or if they also accept anonymous reports. Read your organisation’s instructions on how to make a report. Infringements can be reported through the centralised reporting channel of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice both orally and in writing. The reporting channel of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice does not accept anonymous reports.
Receiving a report
Whistleblower
You have the right to receive a confirmation of receipt within seven (7) days of the date on which you make the report.
Organisation and the Office of the Chancellor of Justice:
The organisation that receives the report must send a confirmation of receipt to the whistleblower within seven (7) days of the date on which the report is received. Only persons specifically designated by organisations have the right to process reports made through their reporting channel.
Processing reports
Whistleblower
The parties processing your report may request additional information from you or ask for more details. You are not obligated to respond to requests for additional information, but communicating with the report handlers improves their ability to resolve the matter you reported and address the infringement.
Organisation
Parties processing reports must take action to determine the correctness and accuracy of the reports. During this phase, the whistleblower may be contacted, other individuals may be interviewed, and data from various sources may be collected.
Office of the Chancellor of Justice
The Office of the Chancellor of Justice forwards the report to the competent authority or ministry who investigates it. The notification will not be forwarded if it is clear that it cannot be handled as a whistleblower matter.
Competent authority
The competent authority or ministry considers whether the report and whistleblower are covered by the Whistleblowers Act.
Final stages of processing reports
Whistleblower
At the latest, you will be informed within three (3) months of the measures taken or planned because of your report.
Organisation
The organisation must take action to address the infringement if an infringement is found to have occurred.
Competent authority
If necessary, the competent authority or ministry takes measures to address the infringement and notifies the whistleblower of the measures taken based on their report. The processing of the report is finalised.
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