Whistleblowing policy

What this policy covers

Use this policy to raise a concern about wrongdoing that affects Corpshore Emirates, our people, our clients or the public. That includes but is not limited to:

• Bribery or corruption, including any offer, payment, request or acceptance of an improper advantage.
• Fraud, theft, false accounting or misuse of company funds or assets.
• Misuse of personal or client data, or a breach of data protection or confidentiality.
• Unsafe practice, or conduct that puts the health or safety of any person at risk.
• Unethical recruitment, including recruitment fees charged to workers, contract substitution, forced labour or the withholding of documents or wages.
• Discrimination, harassment, bullying or retaliation.
• A breach of the law, of a regulatory obligation or of a Corpshore policy, and any deliberate attempt to conceal one of these.

This policy is for raising a concern in the public interest. It is not the route for a personal grievance about your own employment, which has its own process, though we will always point you to the right channel if you are not sure.

Who can raise a concern

Anyone connected to our operation can use this policy. That includes employees at every level, contractors and agency workers, candidates and applicants, clients, suppliers and their workers, and anyone else who deals with Corpshore Emirates. You do not have to be certain that something is wrong. If you have a genuine and reasonable belief that wrongdoing is happening or is likely to happen, that is enough to raise a concern.

How to raise a concern

You can raise a concern through a dedicated whistleblowing channel at info@corpshore.ae. Until that dedicated channel is confirmed, you can raise a concern using the interim route below, and it will be handled with the same care and confidentiality:

• Email info@corpshore.ae with the words whistleblowing concern in the subject line so the message is routed correctly.
• Give as much detail as you can: what happened, who was involved, when and where it happened, whether it is still going on and any documents or evidence you have. Detail helps us look into a concern properly.
• If you are not sure whether to report something, raise it anyway and let us assess it. It is better to check than to stay silent.

Confidentiality and anonymity

We treat every concern in confidence. We will not reveal your identity to the people your concern is about, or to anyone who does not need to know it, unless we are required to do so by law or by a court, or unless you agree to it. We keep the number of people who handle a concern as small as the investigation allows.

You can raise a concern anonymously if you prefer, and we will still look into it. We ask you to understand that anonymity can make an investigation harder, because we may not be able to come back to you for the detail we need or to tell you the outcome. If you give us a way to reach you in confidence, even without your name, that helps us take the concern as far as it can go.

Protection from retaliation

No one who raises a concern in good faith will suffer for it. We do not tolerate any form of retaliation against a person who reports wrongdoing or who takes part in an investigation. Retaliation includes dismissal, demotion, a cut in pay or hours, a worse assignment, exclusion, threats or any other detriment linked to speaking up. If you believe you are being retaliated against, tell us at once through this policy and we will treat that as a fresh and serious concern in its own right.

This protection applies even if it turns out that no wrongdoing occurred, as long as you raised the concern honestly. Knowingly making a false report, on the other hand, is itself a breach of our standards.

How a concern is investigated

When we receive a concern we acknowledge it promptly. We assess what has been raised, decide how it should be looked into and appoint someone independent of the matter to handle it. The investigation is proportionate to the concern. It may involve reviewing documents, gathering information and speaking to people, and it is carried out fairly, which means anyone accused of wrongdoing is treated fairly too until the facts are known.

We keep you informed so far as we properly can. We will tell you that your concern has been received, and where possible we will tell you the broad outcome, while respecting the confidentiality and the legal rights of everyone involved. Where a concern is upheld we act on it, which can include correcting a process, recovering a loss, disciplinary action or a report to the authorities where the law requires it.

If you raise a concern and you feel it has not been dealt with properly, you can say so and ask for it to be escalated. If an internal route is not appropriate, or you believe a concern is not being taken seriously, you retain the right to report to a relevant authority or regulator.

Related policy

Concerns about bribery or corruption are covered in more detail by our anti-bribery and corruption policy at /legal/anti-bribery-and-corruption. You can raise a bribery concern through either policy, and it will reach the same place.

We keep this policy under review and update it as our operation develops and as the dedicated reporting channel is confirmed. The date at the top reflects the most recent update.