Bribery, fraudulent activities, harassment, and discrimination are all forms of misconduct that can occur within an organization. In such cases, an investigation needs to be carried out to find out what happened, and potential risks and solutions.
ISO is currently preparing within ISO/TC 309 WG 7 ‘Governance of organizations – Internal investigations’, a Technical Specification - ISO/WD 37008 ‘Internal Investigations of Organizations - Guidance’ -, which provides guidelines for organizations conducting internal investigations. It gives recommendations on the steps that need to be taken to find out what triggered the incident and the appropriate measures to take.
The ETUC recently joined the work on the TS and is the only union represented. The main concern is that ISO/WD 37008 will not make reference to the participation and consultation of workers’ representatives such as union representatives. Moreover, internal investigations already exist in organizations and their procedures need to be aligned with European directives, national regulations or collective agreements.
For more information, please contact Natalia GIORGI.
