Our work
Our main mission is to protect whistleblowers who wish to report an unfair practice they have encountered in the course of their work. This could be corruption, fraud or other criminal offences or misdemeanors. In addition to support and advice, we can:
Whistleblower Protection
Prevent a dismissal
Whistleblowers can apply for protection, called protected whistleblower status from a prosecutor or administrative authority when reporting a violation. In practice, this means that the employer can do no harm to an employee with this status.
For example, if the employer wants to fire the whistleblower, he or she must ask our Office for permission and prove that it is in no way related to the whistleblower's report. The same is applicable to other negative employment actions.
Temporarily suspend a dismissal
Sometimes it happens that the whistleblower doesn't know that he or she can ask for protection and has been already dismissed for blowing the whistle. Even in that case, we can step in and suspend the dismissal notice for 30 days.This will give the whistleblower time to go to court to have the dismissal reviewed.
Protect the identity
In the most serious cases where it is important to protect the identity of whistleblowers, we file criminal charges on their behalf.
What you need to know before filing a report
We understand that whistleblowers can be under a lot of pressure and stress, often not knowing who to contact or how to proceed. That is why we have created a simple guide. We will help you find out if your complaint can be perceived as a threat to the public interest and whether our Office can help you. If we are unable to help we can direct you to the right organization or body.
Developing methodologies and guidelines
The Whistleblower Protection Office was established by Act No. 54/2019 Coll. on Protection of Whistleblowers of Anti-social Activity and on Amendments and Supplements to Certain Acts.
We regularly encounter practical questions on the interpretation of the Act, which is why we develop and publish supplementary, explanatory materials.
Internal whistleblowing system
Every private employer with more than 50 employees must have an internal reporting system. For the public sector, this applies from five employees onwards. If you don't know how to set up your internal mechanisms to make them functional and effective, read the guides we have developed for you.
Education
We provide training on internal reporting systems and the screening of notifications to the so-called responsible persons who are in charge of this agenda within the company. As our mission is also to strengthen and promote corruption prevention, anti-corruption culture, ethics and public integrity, when we have the capacity, we also give lectures to employees and the general public.
If you are interested in training or lecture, you can contact us at [email protected]
