“SpeakUp is called a whistle-blowing tool, but that’s not what it is actually”, says Leanne Valom, adviser at People Intouch. ‘It is not a whistle-blower to the external media. It is a reporting procedure that should actually foster dialogue and an open culture in an organisation. It is a last resort when all other options have been tried or if you, as the person making the report, don’t feel comfortable reporting matters openly.” 

‘A report can be made anonymously and in your own language”, explains Leanne. “The fact that this is possible in everyone’s own language is of major importance to the VanDrie Group, where many nationalities work together. That is possibly via telephone or the website. When you call, you record your report. That report is given a code number in order to guarantee anonymity. The report is then sent to the translation agency that transcribes it. That transcription ends up with the person who is handling the report. That person subsequently draws up a response that is linked to the code of the person making the report via the translation agency. The person making the report can respond to that. In this way, it remains accessible and people don’t have to fill in endless lists. It is important that through communication, the trust of the person making the report can be rebuilt.” 

A report can be made anonymously and in your own language, this is of major importance for an organisation like the VanDrie Group where many nationalities work together.

LEANNE VALOM

Seeking openness on this theme is quite sensitive. However, if you don’t do that, it has potentially major ethical and financial consequences, and you quickly face the risk of reputational damage. “If you don’t want to turn compliance into a paper tiger, you have to be sure to continue to invite your people to make reports. That means that you have to acknowledge that something could be going wrong in your company and that you communicate honestly about where you stand. 

This interview was previously published in the VanDrie Group's annual report. We are continually exploring feasible steps to achieve our ambitions. We are open and transparent about our results. We publish these in a CSR report every year. Visit our platform to learn more about our approach.