Ethics and internal audit: whistleblowing issues

It is undisputed that the companies’ performances are now more than ever, in the concerns caused by global competition and financial crisis. In this context, one of the interveners in the direction of performance is having an ethical and responsable behavior regrading the public. An ethical behavior is related first of all to the idea of morality, above respecting the law. „Ethics aims to the heart of the corporate’s reputation and in the end that is all you have if you hope to be successful and prosperous in the business world (Harold Tinkler-director of ethics departament of Deloitte & Touche). Developing a system of ethical values within an organization depends not only on the framework provided by the law, but also by creating a participatory framework in order to eliminate waste, or other forms of fraud. Whistleblowing („who blows the whistle”) which can be translated by „giving signals” means that employees can be a part of the internal structures of companies with duties of discovering non-ethical practices. Whistleblowing policy is the result of implementation by U.S. firms which are present in other states, of the Sarbanes Oxley Act in the U.S. What these companies do not realize is that the implementation of whistleblowing schemes in Romania can be interpreted as a violation of the rights of data subjects to personal data protection. Being an anglo-saxon practice type, the question is to what extent the European type company will be able to fald with and also how it can be controlled? It is believed that controling the activity of whistleblowing can be performed by a specialized team of internal audit department. So, internal auditors should realise also missions regarding the research of those tort facts reported by employees. Whistleblowing is designed as a just and effective mean in order to improve the individual and collective behavior of a company.company, ethics, internal audit, whistleblowing

Ethics and internal audit: whistleblowing issues

It is undisputed that the companies’ performances are now more than ever, in the concerns caused by global competition and financial crisis. In this context, one of the interveners in the direction of performance is having an ethical and responsable behavior regrading the public. An ethical behavior is related first of all to the idea of morality, above respecting the law. „Ethics aims to the heart of the corporate’s reputation and in the end that is all you have if you hope to be successful and prosperous in the business world (Harold Tinkler-director of ethics departament of Deloitte & Touche). Developing a system of ethical values within an organization depends not only on the framework provided by the law, but also by creating a participatory framework in order to eliminate waste, or other forms of fraud. Whistleblowing („who blows the whistle”) which can be translated by „giving signals” means that employees can be a part of the internal structures of companies with duties of discovering non-ethical practices. Whistleblowing policy is the result of implementation by U.S. firms which are present in other states, of the Sarbanes Oxley Act in the U.S. What these companies do not realize is that the implementation of whistleblowing schemes in Romania can be interpreted as a violation of the rights of data subjects to personal data protection. Being an anglo-saxon practice type, the question is to what extent the European type company will be able to fald with and also how it can be controlled? It is believed that controling the activity of whistleblowing can be performed by a specialized team of internal audit department. So, internal auditors should realise also missions regarding the research of those tort facts reported by employees. Whistleblowing is designed as a just and effective mean in order to improve the individual and collective behavior of a company

Professional reasoning in expressing the auditor's opinion

Unlike other information, assertions and conclusions made during the audit process, the auditor's opinion expressed in the report on the accuracy of the financial statements in terms of the company’s image is available to all users. The result of a series of professional judgments based on complex theoretical and practical knowledge developed within the referential framework generated by the accounting and audit standards in order to detect misstatements, typological classifications and their correction, the opinion expressed by the auditor may have significant consequences. An inadequate opinion may alter the image of the entity in relation with all stakeholders, with serious implications on the continuity of the business. To the other extreme, an inadequate opinion may encourage unsustainable actions, with severe consequences both on own activity and on third parties

Professional reasoning in expressing the auditor's opinion

Unlike other information, assertions and conclusions made during the audit process, the auditor's opinion expressed in the report on the accuracy of the financial statements in terms of the company’s image is available to all users. The result of a series of professional judgments based on complex theoretical and practical knowledge developed within the referential framework generated by the accounting and audit standards in order to detect misstatements, typological classifications and their correction, the opinion expressed by the auditor may have significant consequences. An inadequate opinion may alter the image of the entity in relation with all stakeholders, with serious implications on the continuity of the business. To the other extreme, an inadequate opinion may encourage unsustainable actions, with severe consequences both on own activity and on third parties

A muldimensional approach of the relationship between teleworking and employees well-being: Romania during the pandemic generated by the SARS-CoV-2 virus

The inclusion of the issue of well-being in the social space, by contextualizing the process in functions of reconfiguring working conditions is of significant interest for both employees and employers in win-win approach. The dynamical systems produce chaotic behavior amplified by specific nonlinear feedback mechanisms and irreversible irregularities. The pandemic generated by SARS-CoV-2 virus has determined the extension of the use of telework and the issue of the dichotomy related potential benefits/ disadvantages associated with it. The anomie of the society with multiple dysfunctions is potentiated by the individual anomie induced by anti-pandemic measures. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of telework on employee well-being, from the perspective of the theory of social production function, considering seven areas of evaluation, assessed on the basis of specific items. In order to collect the subjectively perceived information, we developed an opinion questionnaire. The information was processed using correlation analysis and regression analysis. We noticed there are some differences in the perception of well-being depending on the workplace and gender. There is a positive relationship between professional development and competences, job satisfaction, work-life balance, organizational climate and well-being, and a negative relationship between the emotional dimension, commitment, autonomy and well-being in the case of the telework

Multidimensional Assessment of Job Satisfaction in Telework Conditions. Case Study: Romania in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Improving employee performance is one of the main levers for companies to achieve their goals. The detachment of work from place is a growing trend, affecting the performance levels of both employees and employers. The purpose of this research was to assess job satisfaction in telework conditions, based on areas considered decisive and evaluated by specific items. To this end, an opinion questionnaire was created, the information was processed with correlation analysis and regression analysis. This study showed that job satisfaction in telework is associated with higher skills, autonomy, and a favorable organizational climate, but also with a higher level of emotional exhaustion generated by constant access to work, as well as the lack of relationships and mentoring. We found a statistically significant positive link between competencies, autonomy, organizational climate, and job satisfaction. Significant differences were observed in the perception of job satisfaction with respect to the gender dimension, as well as between employees of various age categories

Telework: A Social and Emotional Perspective of the Impact on Employees’ Wellbeing in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic gives us the largest telework experiment ever conducted globally, that will most likely leave visible and lasting marks on the organization of the labor market in the future. The purpose of this approach is to investigate the wellbeing from the social and emotional perspective of the individual, considering relevant relational communication, emotional dimension, work intensity, organization, autonomy and work–life balance, customized in the context of teleworking. The information was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The wellbeing assessment was performed based on the correlation analysis and the regression analysis. The results of the studies reveal that the existence of adequate communication and work–life balance ensure the wellbeing of telework employees, while the increase in work intensity degrades it. Furthermore, good communication moderates the relationship between organizational skills and wellbeing. The comparative analysis of wellbeing in relation to the explanatory variables considered by including the gender and age perspective reveals the existence of different configurations, with specific signs and statistical meanings