Encouraged by the chaos of the international pandemic, companies have experienced creative and higher levels of fraud and other financial irregularities or conduct that is inappropriate and exposes them to embarrassing and costly litigation. Discuss the current landscape and what employers can do to blunt the costly malfeasance hidden in plain sight. Employees usually are aware at some level of these bad actors, but for many reasons, including now the inaccessibility of leaders, they do not take responsible actions to prevent or stop abuses. Whistleblower hotlines/helplines are one of many features of a comprehensive compliance program to help prevent and identify wrongdoing by employees and suppliers and others. The importance of creating a whistleblower hotline/helpline cannot be underestimated as not only does it identify fraud, but allows employees without fear of retaliation, to raise other concerns, such as discrimination and harassment. Today in the international marketplace, having accessible and effective hotlines\helplines serve then improve a company’s competitive edge while reducing fraud, litigation, government regulatory exposure. As an added benefit to hotlines, they improve employee morale, as it provides a way for them to do the right thing and participate anonymously in the company’s success.
DESIGNED FOR
CPAs, attorneys, human resources and accounting personnel, CFOs, controllers, or business owners.
BENEFITS
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To gain an understanding of the rapidly-evolving state of Whistleblower laws and protections, how they ought to be investigated and addressed, and how an employer can protect itself before, during, and following a whistleblower complaint
HIGHLIGHTS
- Recent developments in Whistleblower law and practice, both generally and in relation to:
- Financial Irregularities
- Discrimination
- #MeToo complaints and preventive measures
- How employers can protect themselves from the public disclosures that usually accompany a Whistleblowing case
- Steps for conducting legitimate investigations involving complaints, to:
- Determine the legitimacy and urgency of the matter, and
- Assist management in its response.
COURSE LEVEL
Overview
PREREQUISITES
General familiarity with Michigan whistleblower laws, including:
Whistleblowers Protection Act (MCL 15.361, et seq.)
General familiarity with the federal whistleblower law, including:
Whistleblowers Protection Act of 1989
Whistleblower Protection Enh
ADVANCE PREPARATION
None
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Please contact Anne Taylor for any complaints. anne.taylor@acpen.com, (972-377-8199).