Corporate Governance

STTA Whistle-blowing Policy
Approved by Management Committee on 25 July 2019

1) Policy Objectives and scope

To whistle-blow, is to report concerns by employees, other stakeholders or members of public in good faith on misconduct, malpractice or fraudulent activity that may be detrimental to the Association and/or public interest. Whistle-blowing is of sound governance.

The Association is committed to a high standard of transparency, integrity, compliance and accountability. The whistle-blowing policy aims to provide a means through which employees, stakeholders or members of the public could, in good faith, report any activity that infringes on the Association’s code of conduct or violates the law so that the Association may take the relevant action.

2) Procedures

The STTA management committee and/or the STTA President oversee the whistle-blowing practices in the association.

All reports received will be channeled to the STTA President and members of the Disciplinary Sub-Committee.

3) Whistle-blowing concerns

The policy covers serious concerns that could have a significant impact on the Association. These include:
a) Fraudulent activities
b) Incorrect financial reporting
c) Unlawful activities
d) Misconduct
e) Unethical conduct

4) Confidentiality & Protection

A. Confidentiality

Reports of whistle-blowing concerns are kept confidential to the extent possible to meet the needs of the investigation. Aligned with the spirit of confidentiality, the Association allows anonymous reporting.

If necessary or lawful circumstances dictate the disclosure of the whistle-blower’s identity, the Association shall seek the whistle-blower’s consent.

B. Protection

The Association is committed to protect a person who reports in good faith from intimidation, retaliation or adverse employment consequence.

The Association does not condone any reprisal, discrimination or harassment against whistle-blowers who report in good faith.

The Association is committed to protecting whistle-blowers from threats to employment and any other threats of retaliatory action. Disciplinary actions will be taken against those who retaliate, harass or discriminate against whistle-blowers.

5) Reporting channels

If employees or members of the public have a cause to suspect serious concerns, a report can be lodged in the following manner using the standard “Whistle-Blower Report Form” (see Annex A) containing information required to facilitate assessment and investigation.

a) By email to whistleblow@stta.org.sg

b) By postal mail to:
Singapore Table Tennis Association
297C Lorong 6 Toa Payoh
Singapore 319389

c) Report in person at Singapore Table Tennis Association at 297C Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, Singapore 319389.

All reports received will be channeled to the STTA President and members of the Disciplinary Sub-Committee.

6) Assessment of concerns raised

Assessment of the concern is based on the nature and severity of the concern raised and the credibility of the information, including the sources. The Disciplinary Sub-Committee shall perform the preliminary assessment on whether an investigation is required to examine the issues raised.

All assessments and analysis are to be properly documented and reported to the Management Committee.

The Association reserves the right to decide, at its discretion, not to conduct any investigation on any anonymous whistle blowing concerns.

7) Investigation

On receiving the assessment and analysis report from the Disciplinary Sub-Committee, the Management Committee shall decide on the severity and authenticity of the concern. For a serious concern, e.g. alleged criminal offence, the matter shall be reported to the relevant external agency.

Inappropriate concerns will not be investigated and the staff that made the allegation may be subjected to disciplinary action. Except for anonymous reports, the whistle-blowers may be contacted for clarification or further details.

The Management Committee reserves the right to set up an Investigation Team to look into issues that require further investigation. The Investigation Team shall document and report all findings to the Disciplinary Sub-Committee. The Disciplinary Sub-Committee shall then propose a course of action to the Management Committee for approval. The Investigation Team shall then carry out the course of action and follow up to ensure proper closure of the case.

Decisions and outcomes shall be communicated to the appropriate parties within reasonable timeline.

8) Communications & training
The whistle-blowing policy is made available to employees and the public in STTA’s website.

The whistle-blowing policy is communicated to all staff when they join the Association and they are briefed on any updates as appropriate. For assistance on whistle-blowing matters, employees may approach the Human Resource Officer, the Chief Executive Officer or the Disciplinary Sub-Committee members.

The Association supports the training of Officers involved in whistle-blowing to stay abreast of developments and to be properly equipped to handle whistle-blowing matters.

9) Monitor & Review

The Disciplinary Sub-Committee monitors the status of the whistle-blowing process to ensure that it is operating as designed. The monitored results should be reported to the Management Committee.

The whistle-blowing policy shall be reviewed internally for its design effectiveness and feasibility. The review is conducted annually or as directed by the Management Committee, whichever is earlier.

STTA Whistleblowing Process

Whistle Blowing Form