GENERAL POLICY
All members and directors of the Center for the Advancement of the Enterprise Architecture Profession (CAEAP) will be protected from any disadvantage caused by raising legitimate concerns and shall report suspected illegal activities or EA Professional Oath violations by CAEAP members.
PURPOSE
CAEAP encourages its members and directors to maintain high ethical standards. This whistleblower policy is meant to provide a confidential and effective means for reporting suspected violations of the law or the EA Professional Oath. It further serves to protect individuals who report suspected violations from retaliation in any form.
SAFEGUARDS
Confidentiality
An individual may report a suspected violation anonymously or on a confidential basis, keeping in mind that in the course of the investigation it may become necessary that the source of the complaint be identified.
Retaliation
No individual or entity who reports a suspected violation in good faith, whether or not the allegation turns out to be correct, shall be subject to any form of retaliation, including harassment, demotion, or firing, by CAEAP or its members. Anyone who retaliates against a complainant shall be subject to disciplinary action.
CAEAP will not retaliate against individual or entity that discloses or threatens to disclose to CAEAP they reasonably believe is a violation of the EA Professional Oath, or is in violation of a clear mandate or public policy concerning the health, safety, welfare, or protection of the environment.
Malicious Allegations
An individual or entity is not required to prove the truth of an allegation, but is required to act in good faith. Any individual or entity who does not act in good faith in reporting a suspected violation may be subject to disciplinary action.
PROCEDURE
Open Door Policy
If an individual or entity reasonably believes that some activity of a member is in violation of the EA Professional Oath, the individual or entity should share their questions, concerns, suggestions, or complaints with someone who may be able to address them properly. If the concerns are not addressed, the individual or entity should make a formal complaint as outlined below.
Reporting Violations
If an individual or entity reasonably believes that some practice of a CAEAP member is in violation of the EA Professional Oath, the member must file an e-mail complaint with the CAEAP Compliance Director or Board President.
Handling Reported Violations
The CAEAP Compliance Director or Board President will contact the complainant within 10 business days and acknowledge the reported violation was received. The complainant will be notified about what actions will be taken. If no further action or investigation is to follow, an explanation for the decision will be given to the complainant.
Any complainant who reasonably believes they have been retaliated against in violation of this whistle blower policy shall follow the same procedures as they did when they filed the original complaint.