Whistleblowing
As a leading provider of HR Compliance eLearning, our experts are often asked about Whistleblowing. We've collected all of those questions and answered them for you below...
Browse sections
Frequently asked questions
Whistleblowing is when an employee reports a serious concern that they believe is happening in the workplace and is not being dealt with or ignored by their employer.
A policy is not currently required by law but is considered best practice for employers
The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 and The Employment Rights Act 1996 provide protection for any employee that faces any unfair treatment after disclosing malpractice or irregular activity.
Read more in our blog ‘What makes a good whistleblowing policy?’
Anonymous concerns should be treated with the same urgency as a concern that has come directly from an employee until further steps have been taken to investigate the issue.
Discretion should be used about whether or not you should pursue the matter. If you are unsure whether to take the matter forward then you should contact the appropriate senior manager.
Often, the Whistleblower will not have a personal interest in the concern that they are raising and it will be more about the concern of danger to others or illegality. Therefore, they should not be expected to prove the malpractice, they are simply the messenger raising the concern and the appropriate people should be assessing whether or not the allegations are true.
This is different to a complaint, the complaint is usually based on the person complaining about being treated poorly. The person making the complaint will have a vested interest in the complaint and is expected to be able to prove their case.
An employee may give their name only on the condition that it is not revealed without their consent, this is confidentiality.
If an employee raises a concern without giving their name, then this is raising a concern anonymously.
Documents & other resources
Sample Whistleblowing Policy
We have provided a useful sample Whistleblowing Policy for your workplace. This can be personalised to fit your workplaces requirements.