Reporting professional concerns (whistleblowing) 

A “whistleblower” is a natural person who reports or discloses, in good faith and without any direct financial consideration, unethical conduct, such as information relating to a crime, an offence, a threat, or harm to the public interest (..), via a secure portal, online, by phone or in person, with the option to remain anonymous.

Exception: Facts, information and documents, whatever their form or means the disclosure or release of which is prohibited under provisions relating to national defense secrecy, medical confidentiality, the secrecy of judicial deliberations, the secrecy of investigations or judicial inquiries, or lawyer–client privilege, are excluded from the whistleblowing framework.

Reporting channels

Useful information when making a report

When submitting a report, you are advised to answer as precisely as possible the following questions: 

  • Who committed the reported acts; 
  • What the acts are, described in a factual manner; 
  • Where and when the acts occurred; 
  • How these acts can be established or proven; 
  • Whether you were a victim, a witness, or whether the facts were reported to you by a third party. 

The report must be based on facts, information or documents, whatever their form or means, and must be sufficiently precise and detailed to enable a clear understanding of the situation. 

The whistleblower is protected against any retribution measures, as are facilitators, throughout the duration of the investigation. “Facilitators” means any natural person or private-law legal entity that helped the author of the report make the disclosure. 

Upon receipt of a report, an analysis is carried out to assess the accuracy of the allegations. Additional information may be requested. The whistleblower and the people concerned are informed of the follow-up and the progress of the investigations.

Please note

  • If you remain anonymous, precise information is required to enable a thorough investigation. The company informs the whistleblower of receipt within 7 days and communicates the measures taken within a maximum of three months.
  • For an online report, a report key is assigned, and a password must be created and kept carefully. These credentials cannot be retrieved if lost. If they are lost, a new report must be submitted in order to continue exchanges with the investigation team.
  • For a phone report, the operator provides identifiers enabling you to obtain updates and track progress of the case.
  • It is recommended that you reconnect regularly to check whether additional information is required by the team handling the report.

Confidentiality

All reports are handled under strict confidentiality. Only those who need to know are informed. The identity of the author of the report, the people concerned and any third parties mentioned is protected. However, some information may be transmitted to the judicial authorities where the people responsible for receiving or handling the report are legally required to do so.

Finally, any misuse of the reporting system may expose its author to disciplinary sanctions and, where applicable, legal proceedings.