WARSAW PUBLIC LIBRARY

 Purpose

The Warsaw Public Library is committed to operating in an environment of honesty and integrity and in compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, including those concerning accounting and auditing. Therefore, the Warsaw Public Library Board of Trustees has adopted this Whistleblower Policy.

The goals of the Warsaw Public Library Whistleblower Policy are to:

● Combat unlawful or fraudulent conduct by any of the library’s Trustees, Officers, employees, or Volunteers.

● Outline expectations for conduct of Trustees, Officers, employees and volunteers.

● Outline a procedure for employees to report actions that they reasonably believe violates a law or regulation or that constitutes fraudulent accounting or other practices.

This policy applies to any matter which is related to the library’s business and does not relate to private acts of an individual not connected to the business of the library.

Guidelines

 ● If a Trustee, Officer, employee, or volunteer has a reasonable belief that a(nother) Trustee, Officer, employee, or volunteer or that the library as a whole has engaged in any action that violates any applicable law or regulation, including those concerning accounting and auditing, or constitutes a fraudulent practice, that person is required and expected to immediately report such information to the Director.

 ● If the person does not feel comfortable reporting the information to the Director, they are to report the information to the President of the Board of Trustees. That person may, in addition, report the matter to a local, state, or federal agency.

 ● All reports will be acted upon promptly and an investigation conducted. The person assigned to conduct the investigation will deliver their findings to the Board of Trustees. In conducting such investigations, the library will strive to keep the identity of the complaining individual as confidential as possible while conducting a review and investigation.

● The library will not retaliate against an employee in the terms and conditions of employment because that employee:

(a) reports, in good faith, to a supervisor, the Director, the Board of Trustees, or to a federal, state, or local agency what the employee believes, in good faith, to be a violation of the law; or

(b) participates, in good faith, in any resulting investigation or proceeding; or

 (c) exercises their rights under any state or federal law(s) or regulation(s) to pursue a claim or take legal action to protect the employee’s rights.

● The library may take disciplinary action (up to and including removal/termination) against a Trustee, Officer, employee, or volunteer who, in the Board of Trustees’ assessment, has engaged in retaliatory conduct in violation of this Whistleblower Policy or has violated other provisions of this policy.

Ongoing Use Evaluation

The Warsaw Public Library’s Whistleblower Policy will be periodically evaluated in accordance with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations by the Director and Board of Trustees. The Director and Board of Trustees may update or modify the Whistleblower Policy as necessary. Modifications must be reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees at an open meeting.

Questions or concerns regarding Warsaw Public Library or this policy should be directed to the Director. ADOPTED by the Warsaw Public Library Board of Trustees 10/13/2020

Reviewed/Approved 03/12/2024

WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION

Warsaw Public Library strives to protect its employees, business, and community as best as possible. As a matter of policy and practice, as well as in compliance with various laws, we offer employees whistleblower protection when they report certain activities or make a complaint to management about a specific situation or occurrence in the workplace that may be unsafe, illegal, abusive, or fraudulent. The complaint will be taken seriously and investigated to the fullest extent possible. Employees the director make complaints of this nature will be protected from retaliation.

MAKING A COMPLAINT

If an employee reasonably believes that a workplace activity or situation is unsafe, illegal, abusive, or fraudulent, they should bring the problem to the attention of the Director. Warsaw Public Library will, if appropriate, conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of the situation. Employees may report problems anonymously but should be aware that this may hamper Warsaw Public Library’s ability to obtain further details, ask follow-up questions and/or otherwise conduct a complete, thorough investigation.

Problems that are covered by other Warsaw Public Library complaint procedures (e.g., employment discrimination, harassment) should be reported in the manner and to the individual(s) set out in those specific procedures and not under this policy.

NO RETALIATION

Employees the director make a complaint in good faith will not be retaliated against or penalized in any manner. The employee’s identity, if made known to Warsaw Public Library, will be protected by Warsaw Public Library to the greatest extent possible, consistent with applicable law and the need to investigate and remedy the situation. Any employee the director believes they have been retaliated against in violation of this policy should notify the Director immediately.

From Employee Handbook updated 12/10/2024