Ireland: Reminder: Statutory Obligations Under the Protected Disclosures Legislation Will Take Effect on 17 December 2023 for Employers with 50-249 Employees

One of the key changes under the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 is that private sector employers in Ireland with 250 or more employees are obliged since 1 January 2023 to establish internal reporting channels and procedures for making protected disclosures (i.e., whistleblowing complaints). As this obligation will extend to employers with 50-249 employees as of 17 December 2023, we wanted to provide a timely reminder of this pending deadline.

Key Action Points for Human Resources and In-House Counsel

In-scope employers should take steps to establish reporting channels and procedures in anticipation of the statutory obligation coming into effect. In-scope employers may also wish to consider preparing or updating their whistleblowing or protected disclosure policy.