Cathay Pacific whistle-blowing policy urging staff to ‘speak up’ under spotlight as Hong Kong employees fear possible reprisals for support of anti-government protests
- Policy, updated in May 2019, tells staff to report anonymously if they suspect a breach of code of conduct or the law, or have concerns about serious wrongdoing
- Company says recent firings not taken ‘lightly’ and involve senior leadership decision in the best interest of the firm
Cathay Pacific Airways has reminded its staff about its policy to speak up and act as “whistle-blowers” as a climate of fear grows among the airline’s employees about possible reprisals for their activities on social media.
Stressing the company’s commitment to maintaining a compliance culture, the airline’s senior management reminded its staff that they can report confidentially “if you suspect there has been a breach of the code, the law, or have concerns about serious wrongdoing”.
The company’s code on confidential disclosures said: “We have a strong commitment to building and maintaining a culture of compliance, and you are encouraged to ‘speak up’ via the whistle-blowing policy/procedure if you suspect there has been a breach.”
The entire code covers a spectrum of policies, from respecting colleagues in the workplace, health and safety to anti-bribery measures.
It was feared the policy could encourage staff to report on colleagues, rather than protecting employees who feel they are being unfairly targeted from repercussions.
The airline’s whistle-blower policy was introduced in 2016, part of an older version of the code dated May this year. The text of the May version and later versions both encouraged staff to speak up if they believed colleagues had broken the law or had concerns about wrongdoing; and to flag concerns over breaches of the company’s code of conduct.
The revised code of conduct added a new section on political activities, which barred staff from using company resources to express political opinions, and which stipulated that should staff seek permission to take part in protests, and should not wear uniform while doing so and should not give the impression the company has endorsed the protest.