Policy Purpose
It is important for everyone at No Mercy Wrestling to have a place to go where they can safely raise concerns. Management, Talent, Crew, and all affiliates of No Mercy Wrestling are covered by this policy. This policy sets out what a person should do and who they should talk to if they have reason to believe that there is a safeguarding concern, or if something unlawful or unethical is taking place at work and it is affecting (or risks affecting) them or other colleagues. It will also demonstrate what to do if one should be dissatisfied with management's response to the concerns. Reporting these kinds of concerns is called whistleblowing.
There will be no reprisals for individuals who bring these concerns to our attention – we value all such reports and those who make them to us. We all play an important role in ensuring that our business and everyone working in and with it acts professionally, lawfully and appropriately. No Mercy Wrestling will review this policy annually, or if/when a significant event or incident happens within professional wrestling or the promotion.
What Sorts of Activities are Typically Considered Relevant toWhistleblowing?
This is not an exhaustive list, but the types of concerns you may want to raise with No Mercy Wrestling by whistleblowing could include:
● Any activity you suspect is criminal
● Any activity you believe is a safeguarding concern
● Any activity you suspect puts health and safety at risk
● Any activity you suspect may damage the environment
● Any activity you suspect breaches the code of conducts
● Any attempt to conceal one or more of these activities
Please speak to No Mercy Wrestling’s Safeguarding Officer - Jenna Mitchell, or management if you are unsure whether something that you are concerned about is covered by this policy.
Confidentiality and Anonymity
You are always encouraged to raise concerns openly, and anonymous reports will be considered but discouraged. The reason for this is it is not always easy to manage and to investigate anonymous reports, especially since if we are unable to ask you for further details, we may struggle to clarify and find evidence to support your allegations and/or reach an informed conclusion. However, if you prefer to keep your identity anonymous, we will do all that we can to ensure that you retain your anonymity, and the confidentiality of your concerns, as far as possible. If we need to disclose your identity to others as part of the investigation, we will always discuss with you beforehand both our desire and our reasons for wishing to identify you. There are no reprisals for mistakes or if following our investigations, we conclude that there has been no breach of law, policy or unethical conduct. However, to qualify for protection, the disclosure must, in the reasonable belief of the worker making the disclosure, show that one or more of the following events has happened, is happening or is likely to happen and that it is in the public interest to make the disclosure:
● A criminal offence
● Safeguarding concern
● Danger to health & safety of any individual
● Danger to the environment
● Deliberate concealment of any of any of the above
If at any time, you feel that you have not been fairly or properly treated by No Mercy Wrestling in the handling of your whistleblowing concern, you must inform us immediately. You should inform No Mercy Wrestling’s Safeguarding Officer - Jenna Mitchell, or management in the first instance.
We strive to protect whistleblowers from others, so when a whistleblower reports to us that they have been treated inappropriately by others, (including having received threats as a result of raising their concerns), we will take disciplinary action against those individuals as outlined in the No Mercy Wrestling disciplinary policy. The consequences of us taking this action could include dismissal of such individual(s) for gross misconduct.
Our Procedure for Raising a Whistleblowing Concern
Please follow this procedure:
● Raise your concerns with No Mercy Wrestling’s Safeguarding Officer - Jenna Mitchell in the
first instance. You can do so in writing or orally.
● If you would prefer not to discuss your concerns with No Mercy Wrestling’s Safeguarding Officer, you should write or speak to No Mercy Wrestling management. The investigation will then be reviewed, and a final decision will be made. If management believes the outcome is correct, the reasons for this will then
be explained to the whistleblower.
● Please explain that you are raising your concerns as part of the No Mercy Wrestling whistleblowing policy and procedure. Then set out all the key information, including names of those involved and all relevant dates and facts.
● You will be invited to a meeting at which you can discuss your concerns. You are entitled to bring someone with you to this meeting – and any subsequent meetings. That companion may be a colleague (or a trade union representative, if relevant). Anyone who accompanies you will be asked to agree to keep the details of the meeting strictly confidential, including any contents disclosed and/or discussed during it. This expectation of confidentiality will apply before, during and after the meeting and any following investigation that we conduct in relation to the concerns raised by you.
● Following this meeting, we will investigate the matters raised and we may request that you come to additional meetings to assist the investigation. We may also decide to involve relevant external (or internal) specialists, such as local authority safeguarding boards, to help us conduct a thorough, fair and responsible
investigation.
● Those involved in the proceedings of this investigation will keep you informed about all progress as far as they are able. For a number of reasons, generally relating to legal obligations, including obligations of confidence, to others, or in relation to any legal advice that we may decide to take on our own behalf, we may not be able to share every detail of the investigation with you. We will always strive to reassure you, as best as we can, of the fact that we are taking your concerns seriously.
● It is possible that the outcome of our investigations will not be one that you find satisfactory. If this happens, you are entitled to appeal to No Mercy Wrestling’s management and request a review of what has been decided. If you have raised a concern in good faith, our process and all those involved in giving effect to it will support and protect you. However, if a false concern is raised with us in bad faith (e.g. for malicious reasons), we will invoke our disciplinary policy and you may be subject to disciplinary action as outlined in the No Mercy Wrestling disciplinary policy.
Monitoring
All management at No Mercy Wrestling will need to be informed of possible disclosures, unless they have personally been named in the concern. This policy will be reviewed in one (1) years time or if/when a significant event or incident happens within professional wrestling or the promotion.