All NRC employees are required to sign the Code of Conduct when they join the organisation, which holds them to the highest standards of behaviour. However, sometimes things can happen within the organisation that cause concern. NRC needs to find out about these issues quickly, so that we can understand what has happened and take action if needed.
NRC relies on our employees and third parties, such as partners, consultants and suppliers, to tell us about concerns they may have. This gives NRC the opportunity to react to and deal with any issues and hold those responsible for wrongdoing to account. Staying silent may mean that:
- the problem continues and things may get worse
- harm is caused to employees, project participants and others
- people lose trust in NRC
- NRC suffers financial harm, and
- NRC and the humanitarian community suffers reputational damage.
This Speak Up Policy is NRC’s whistleblowing policy. It ensures that anyone who speaks up to NRC can do so in the knowledge that:
- their concerns will be taken seriously
- their concerns will be followed up using a survivor centred approach
- every effort will be made to ensure confidentiality, and
- they are protected against retaliation for speaking up.
The policy explains:
- who can speak up to NRC
- what types of concerns may be reported under the policy
- how to speak up to NRC
- what principles NRC follows when someone speaks up, and
- the obligations employees and third parties have when speaking up to NRC.
