Do companies have legal sponsorship to investigate internal complaints?

Lene Oña, head of Compliance and Corporate Governance at Lener, analyzes in a report published by El Economista the lack of current regulation on investigations when a complaint is made through the internal channel within a company. 

"We can find some regulation on how to manage these complaints but there is not enough regulation for companies regarding how they should be investigated," Lene qualifies.

To counteract the limited regulation in this area, Lene explains that she is suggesting clients to apply ISO 37008 standards, "which provides guidance on how to investigate." 

At the same time, Lene warns that many of the companies with a whistleblowing channel do not comply with the technical and legal requirements of the new standard and could be penalized. 

Those organizations that do not comply with the standards and requirements regarding the so-called "Whistleblowing Law" could face fines ranging from one hundred thousand euros to one million euros. 

See the full report here.