Do we need a whistleblowing channel?

The EU Whistleblowing Directive — Directive (EU) 2019/1937 — is an EU law requiring companies to give employees, and others who work closely with them, a formal, protected way to report wrongdoing they come across at work. It exists because people who witness fraud, safety failures, or other serious breaches routinely stay quiet, reasonably worried about their job if they speak up — so the Directive requires a proper internal channel for reporting it, and makes retaliation against anyone who uses one illegal. See the EU Whistleblowing Directive, explained for what it actually covers, who it protects, and how a report is meant to be handled.

Whether you need a channel comes down to headcount and location. If you employ 50 or more people in the EU, the answer is a hard yes — the Directive sets a bright-line threshold, and you're either over it or you're not. If you're a UK company, there's no equivalent statutory trigger, but the exposure is real all the same — see UK vs EU: what's actually required where.

Start with the 50-employee threshold, explained or UK vs EU: what's actually required where. See penalties for non-compliance for what's at stake, and the setup guide for what to have ready before you cross the threshold.