This page states Azari Holdings’ public policy position. Applicable law, contracts, regulatory requirements and more specific subsidiary procedures may impose additional or stricter requirements.
What can be raised
Concerns may relate to law, ethics, fraud, bribery, financial records, safety, harassment, discrimination, privacy, security, retaliation, conflicts or attempts to conceal wrongdoing.
Ordinary employment disagreements or service complaints should normally use the relevant management or complaints route unless they also involve serious misconduct.
Good-faith reporting
A person can raise a concern based on a reasonable belief without having complete evidence. Deliberately making a knowingly false allegation is different from reporting a suspicion that later proves unfounded.
Reporters should avoid conducting their own intrusive investigation or obtaining information they are not authorised to access.
Reporting routes
A concern can be raised to an appropriate manager or governance contact, or through the group public address where no more specific route is available. Concerns involving the normal recipient should be escalated elsewhere so the review is not controlled by the subject of the allegation.
Where a law or regulated process requires a specific external reporting route, this policy does not prevent a person from using it.
Confidentiality and anonymity
Information about a report should be limited to people who need it for assessment, investigation, legal advice or corrective action. Absolute confidentiality cannot be promised where disclosure is required by law or necessary for a fair investigation.
Anonymous reports may be considered, although limited contact can make it harder to clarify facts or communicate an outcome.
Protection from retaliation
Retaliation against a person for making a good-faith report or participating honestly in an investigation is prohibited. Retaliation can include dismissal, threats, disadvantage, exclusion or other adverse treatment connected to the report.
A person who believes retaliation is occurring should raise that concern promptly.
Assessment and investigation
Reports should be triaged for urgency, conflicts, preservation of evidence and the need for specialist or legal involvement. The person investigating should have appropriate independence from the subject where the seriousness of the matter requires it.
Outcomes may include no further action, control improvement, management action, disciplinary measures, contract remedies or referral to an authority where appropriate.