Avior is committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability. Avior does not tolerate harassment or victimisation and will take appropriate action to protect a whistleblower when concerns are raised in good faith.
All employees, clients, or stakeholders with serious concerns about Avior's business practices are encouraged to voice those concerns, including but not limited to:
- Any unlawful civil or criminal offences;
- Failure to comply with statutory obligations/requirements;
- Financial or non-financial mismanagement, fraud and corruption, including bribery;
- A risk (including a potential risk) to health and safety of any individual;
- Environmental damage;
- Unfair discrimination as contemplated in the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, No. 4 of 2000; or
- Attempts to conceal or suppress information relating to the above.
This policy should be read with Avior's overall policies and procedures, including Avior's Disciplinary Policy and other applicable Avior policies.
Avior encourages individuals to bring forward allegations with full transparency of identity. However, Avior and its management will take all necessary steps to protect an individual's identity where disclosure is not desired.
If a person identifies any form of misconduct believed to fall within the scope of this policy, that person should submit a written complaint by logging an identifiable or anonymous report.
In the two (2) weeks following the initial disclosure, Avior senior management, or the head of compliance or legal (as the case may be), will then proceed to:
- Make initial enquiries to decide whether an investigation is appropriate and, if so, what form it should take. This will be done individually on a case-by-case basis.
- Decide if it is appropriate to investigate internally with management, through an internal audit or through the disciplinary process; or refer the matter to an independent outside service provider with the necessary specialist expertise and experience in dealing with the type of disclosure made.
- Consider if some concerns may be resolved by agreed action without the need for formal investigation.
- Take urgent action, if required, as far as is practicable, before any investigations are conducted.