Partners in Vertrouwen / Partners in Confidentiality
Your External Confidential Advisors
Would you like to ensure that your organisation upholds the desired code of conduct and maintains integrity in the best possible way?
We can provide your external confidential advisor for inappropriate behaviour and integrity.
It is anticipated that having a confidential advisor may soon become mandatory for all organisations in The Netherlands, as this bill is currently being discussed in the House of Representatives. The Inspectorate of Social Affairs and Employment already verifies whether an organisation has a well-trained confidential advisor.
A confidential advisor handles a wide range of issues, including inappropriate behaviours such as (sexual) harassment, aggression, bullying, and discrimination, as well as integrity concerns like fraud, theft, misuse of company resources, undesired side activities, or abuse of power. For smaller organisations, it can be challenging to have their own internal confidential advisor. In such cases, an external confidential advisor can be a viable solution. However, even larger organisations often opt for an external confidential advisor, either in conjunction with an internal confidential advisor or as a standalone resource. An external confidential advisor can support an internal confidential advisor and provide an independent avenue for employees to report or discuss matters.
The Confidential Advisor fulfils three main tasks:
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The first task: to provide support to victims of inappropriate behaviour or potential reporters of integrity issues by actively listening to their story and collaboratively finding appropriate solutions for the situation, so that they can function safely and healthily once again;
The second task: to provide information and education to employees and managers about inappropriate behaviour and integrity issues, with an emphasis on prevention, how to handle such issues if they arise, and the role of the confidential advisor in such situations;
The third task: to offer requested and unsolicited advice to management on both areas, drawing on their expertise and experience.
By having a confidential advisor in place, your organisation can create a safer workplace, resulting in cost savings and an improved work environment for your employees.
The External Confidential Advisor of Partners in Vertrouwen ensures that:
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Your organisation meets the legal obligation of providing a safe working environment.
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Emphasis is placed on education and prevention.
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Your employees can discuss inappropriate behaviour or integrity concerns in confidence.
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Problems can be addressed promptly, leading to an improved work environment.
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Sick leave can be reduced.
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Areas for improvement within your organisation can be identified.
Together, we work towards creating a pleasant and safe work environment, leading to lower costs, higher productivity, and improved flexibility.
The external confidential advisor of Partners in Vertrouwen helps you to create a pleasant and safe working environment.
A pleasant work environment includes behaviour that all employees can agree with
A pleasant work environment includes behaviour that all employees can agree with. Inappropriate behaviour can negatively impact the atmosphere in a department, leading to a decrease in employee job satisfaction and ultimately affecting results. Often, such behaviour is only recognised by employers when it's already too late
16% of Dutch employees indicate that they experience inappropriate behaviour from colleagues
Increasingly, articles in the news highlight inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, including (sexual) harassment, aggression, bullying, and discrimination. The perception of desired and undesired behaviour varies for each individual, and everyone has the right to determine whether a boundary has been crossed or not.
Integrity is not only an expectation that an organisation may have of its employees, but employees also have the right to expect integrity from their employer. This creates the most pleasant work environment, especially when it is clear where employees can turn to if they suspect that something is not right. This can include fraud, theft, misuse of company resources, inappropriate side activities, or abuse of power.
Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching
According to the Dutch Working Conditions Act (Arbowet), organisations are required to develop adequate policies on inappropriate behaviour in order to provide a safe working environment for employees. The Dutch Whistleblower Protection Act (Wet Bescherming Klokkenluiders) mandates that organisations with more than 50 employees, or those that are susceptible to fraud, are required to have an integrity policy with an internal reporting procedure. The Confidential Advisor plays a part in this policy.
How is inappropriate behaviour and integrity legally regulated?
What support can employees rely on from Partners in Vertrouwen?
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Employees have the option to contact Partners in Vertrouwen through phone or email to schedule an appointment, which will take place at a neutral location, either at their office or a location of their choice.
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Employees can approach the Confidential Advisor of Partners in Vertrouwen when faced with inappropriate behaviour from a colleague.
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Employees can seek support, guidance, and information from us, and together we will search for possible solutions, with the employee retaining responsibility for the chosen solution.
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We prioritize informal routes for finding solutions, but if that is not feasible, formal routes such as mediation or filing a complaint with the complaints committee can be pursued.
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We have in-house mediators who can facilitate conversations or initiate the mediation process as needed.
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We can provide referrals to counselors (complaints officer, psychologist, occupational health physician, company social worker, lawyer, police, etc.) if necessary.
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Our Confidential Advisors are also available to employees who have suspicions of irregularities, integrity incidents, and misconduct.
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These are typically issues that cannot be resolved through informal routes, which underscores the importance of having a proper reporting procedure in place to gain insight into possible issues within the organisation. The Confidential Advisor will also support the reporter in all steps of this process.
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Our Confidential Advisors offer aftercare to employees who have had a conversation with us.
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Our Confidential Advisors are LVV certified and can communicate in both Dutch and English.
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Why choose a Confidential Advisor from Partners in Vertrouwen?
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We believe that prevention is the best approach, and therefore prioritize preventive measures as our primary strategy.
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We are independent and objective, with no vested interests or relationships with your employees. This makes it easier for employees to approach an External Confidential Advisor when confronted with inappropriate behaviour from a colleague or suspect integrity violations.
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We provide analysis and advice on how desired conduct and integrity can be incorporated into your code of conduct and integrity policy, as well as your existing reporting and complaint procedures, and assess them against regulations.
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We are accountable to management by providing a fully anonymized annual report with analysis of findings and recommendations.
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Our team includes mediators with years of mediation experience who can provide not only mediation services but can also facilitate conversations.
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We are willing to support your internal Confidential Advisors by providing them with a sounding board.
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We offer replacement during vacations and sick leaves.
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We allow ourselves to be evaluated anonymously by your own employees, providing you with feedback on the appreciation of our performance.
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Our Confidential Advisors have a legal and business background with extensive experience in small and large (international) organisations, both in the commercial and non-profit sectors.
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Our Confidential Advisors are solution-oriented within the scope of the Confidential Advisor profession.
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Our Confidential Advisors are LVV certified and can communicate in both Dutch and English.