The ZDHC Speak Up Procedure is a crucial component of our quality management programme and ZDHC, as it helps to maintain our integrity and accountability. It provides a platform for reporting any suspected or observed misconduct that may affect ZDHC, and we encourage anyone who notices something worrying, inappropriate, unethical, or illegal to speak up.
Speaking up is essential because it enables us to protect our core ZDHC values and principles, our credibility and reputation, and that of our stakeholders. It helps prevent legal and/or ethical misconduct from occurring, stops existing situations from worsening, and prevents undesirable behaviour in the future.
Examples of concerns that can be raised through the Speak Up Procedure include misconduct or gross misconduct, conflict of interest, fraud (including bribery and corruption), anti-competitive practices or behaviour, discrimination or harassment, breach of legal requirements or obligations, and violation of any other ZDHC policies, this is not an exhaustive list.
It's best to speak up as soon as possible or as soon as you suspect a violation of laws or regulations or other unethical behaviour. There is no fixed reporting period, but early reporting and intervention are highly effective in resolving actual or perceived incidents of violation.
You can report a concern or incident related to quality, integrity, bribery, professional obligations, violations of stakeholders, or any other suspicious behaviour that can affect the integrity of our programme.
The SpeakUp® System, managed by an independent service provider, offers round-the-clock availability. You have the option to communicate in English through the Internet. The proficient SpeakUp team will diligently manage your report while granting you the choice of anonymity. The process of initiating a report is both uncomplicated and transparent. Simply access the exclusive page tailored for ZDHC Signatories and external stakeholders. Alternatively, you can take advantage of the option to commence a report effortlessly by scanning the QR code that is provided below.
The SpeakUp office has highly qualified specialists handling reports. To assist in the assessment and any subsequent investigation of a report via the SpeakUp® channel, as much detailed and factual information as possible about the suspected violation should be provided.
When submitting a report, it is advisable to include key details such as the nature of the suspected violation, an explanation of its personal significance, the date and location of the incident (if available), the involved parties, potential witnesses and their identities, any responsive measures you undertook, whether you've previously discussed the matter with anyone and their corresponding response, supporting evidentiary materials, and any additional insights that could facilitate the investigative process. If apprehensions regarding potential repercussions for voicing your concerns arise, kindly make note of them in your report.
Protecting the rights of those who use the ZDHC SpeakUp® Procedure is crucial, and we ensure confidentiality. All questions or issues raised are treated confidentially, and information is only shared with a very limited number of people on a strict need-to-know basis. ZDHC is committed to protecting the privacy of everyone involved in the SpeakUp® process and will do everything within reason to safeguard personal data from unauthorised access and processing. Any personal data obtained will be processed in line with applicable privacy policies and will only be used for the purposes explained in this procedure or to comply with the law or an important public interest. We expect those using the SpeakUp® System to report in good faith, meaning that a person comes forward with all of the information in their possession and gives a sincere, truthful, fact-based, accurate, and complete report.
For a comprehensive understanding of the SpeakUp® process, we encourage you to refer to their Privacy Statement document.