Whistleblowing

Whistleblowing is now a well-known concept following several high-profile cases that gained significant media attention. However, whistleblowing doesn’t need to cause reputational damage. Employees are often your  best source of information about wrongdoing and poor practice. Handled correctly, this information is valuable in helping you protect your business.

Whistleblowing in law

In certain circumstances, workers who bring information about a wrongdoing to your attention or another relevant organisation are protected under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA). This Act gives protection to:

• employees;
• agency workers;
• people who are training with an employer but not employed; and
• self-employed workers if supervised or working off-site, provided certain criteria is met.

An effective whistleblowing programme is an essential part of an organisation’s corporate governance structure. It creates a transparent, open, and honest culture, where staff feel they can report any concerns without fear of reprisal.

Having an effective whistleblowing programme that is managed well allows you to:

• demonstrate a zero-tolerance approach to malpractice and wrongdoing;
• encourage staff to raise concerns, whichever way they feel comfortable to do so;
• help identify and mitigate risks that you may not have had sight on;
• support compliance with the Bribery Act 2010; and
• take proper remedial action.

Our specialists can support your business to build a robust whistleblowing programme with mechanisms in place to encourage your employees to raise concerns and deal with them appropriately.

Get in touch with Tim Merritt and learn more about how we can help.