Policy on Employee Disclosure of Wrongdoings (BD-16)
Introduction
Employees who have reasonable grounds to believe that a wrongdoing has been committed or is about to be committed can make a disclosure. The list of such acts includes violations of the law, misuse of university funds and abuse of authority.
Policy overview
The Policy on Employee Disclosure of Wrongdoing (BD-16) sets out how to report or disclose a wrongdoing and specifies that employees who act in good faith are protected from reprisals.
FAQ
A wrongdoing is:
- a violation of any federal or provincial law or regulation
- a serious breach of standards of ethics and professional conduct
- a misuse of funds or property of the university, including the funds or property it manages or holds for others
- a gross mismanagement within the university, including an abuse of authority
- any act or omission that seriously compromises or may seriously compromise a person’s health, safety or environment
- directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing
Disclosures of wrongdoings under the policy are made with the purpose of protecting the public interest.
An employee can report a wrongdoing to the Public Protector.
In addition to disclosing to the Public Protector, an employee can report the matter or any query internally to their immediate supervisor or unit head, or to the Ethics and Integrity Officer or the Secretary-General.
The contact information of the Ethics and Integrity Officer is available in Appendix A of the policy.
The primary function of this person is to contribute to the implementation and advancement of an ethical culture within the organization. More specifically, the Ethics and Integrity Officer plays the following three roles:
Coordination
They coordinate their organization's ethical approach to give it coherence and dynamism. In this sense, the ethical culture corresponds to the fulfillment of the organization's mission, in line with its values.
Support for managers
They assist managers in dealing with ethical issues in their teams. In particular, the Ethics and Integrity Officer can help them identify the ethical risks posed by certain organizational processes, or develop the best management strategies for bringing ethics to life in their teams.
Consulting
They support members of the organization who are faced with ethical dilemmas, by offering them decision-support services. The consulting function is taken in its strictest sense, i.e. to help, accompany and guide a person or group in their reflections and deliberations when certain complex situations arise.
More information can be found on the Rôles et responsabilités des responsables de la gestion de l’éthique et de l’intégrité | Gouvernement du Québec web page.
