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Protect – Speak up stop harm
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Free, confidential whistleblowing advice
Call us on 020 3117 2520 or email us

Case studies

Fraud in family company puts whistleblower in difficult position

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Jin (not his real name) was the personnel manager for a family-run engineering firm.

In the past, the family managers of the company had used company money to pay for private work done on their own homes. Jin had let this pass as it was a family business but two employees recently told him that the scale of these private works was becoming extensive. Jin was worried about raising this to the Board of non-executive directors because the company managers had a well-earned reputation as hard men in the local community. He rang Protect for advice.

We advised Jin that if he wanted to stay with the firm, the best option was to raise the concern with the family managers. By referring to the fact that staff were talking about it and the risk that they might report the wrongdoing elsewhere, he could help the family understand that the private works should be stopped. This approach made his role part of the solution so it was unlikely he would be victimised. We explained his rights under whistleblowing law in the event he was dismissed. The alternative option was for Jin to find a new job elsewhere and then raise the concern.

Jin thanked us for the advice. He decided to resign from the company and raised his concerns once he secured new employment.

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Manager convicted for theft in care home

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Felix (not his real name) worked in a care home. He and some of his colleagues believed that a manager was stealing from residents by recording money as being given to particular residents when they had received none.

Felix raised his concerns with the owners of the home and an investigation quickly found that Felix was right. The manager was dismissed and reported to the police. Unfortunately, working relationships became tense as the manager’s close colleagues objected to Felix’s actions. Felix was suspended over false allegations that he had mistreated the residents.

We advised Felix to address these allegations on their merits: they were false and he could easily show that to be the case. The allegations were found to have no substance but the owners decided to transfer him to another home anyway. We helped Felix to draft a letter explaining that he wanted to stay at the home and that transferring him after he had blown the whistle would send the wrong message to other staff. The owners reconsidered and Felix stayed at the home.

The manager was later convicted of stealing £1,400 from the residents and Felix was pleased that the atmosphere at work had improved.

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Protect helps food sector whistleblower agree £100,000 settlement

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Jada (not her real name) was a manager for a well known food chain.

A new Divisional Director told managers to complete staff satisfaction surveys themselves, rather than their teams, as this would boost their bonuses. Jada thought this was wrong and raised her concern to the Compliance Team in the United States. They assured Jada they would investigate and promised her confidentiality. Soon after, Jada heard the Divisional Director telling other managers that she had reported him. Jada followed up with the US Compliance Team who appointed investigators and later found her concerns proven. Two weeks later, Jada was called to a meeting where the employer questioned her about old incidents at work that she knew nothing about. As she left the meeting, Jada had a heated conversation with the Divisional Director and she was later suspended.

We explained Jada’s rights under whistleblowing law and advised that she had done nothing wrong. We referred Jada to litigation lawyers who helped her to start a claim in the Employment Tribunal. At the door of the tribunal, her case settled for over £100,000. We advised Jada to be honest with future job applications and she now has a new job and studies law in the evenings. Jada has no regrets and still values her former company, commenting that its ethics had been hijacked by one individual. Jada doubted she would have coped without the counselling and support that Protect provided.

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Fraud in charity stopped by whistleblowers

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Maz (not her real name) was a manager for a large company that serviced equipment in the homes of a national charity. On return from holiday, Maz’s team told her that the manager had shown them how to alter the billing system so that the charity would be charged for twice as much work as had actually been performed. Maz was unsure what to do so called Protect.

We advised Maz that she was right to raise her concerns and suggested she raise it to the Operations Manager who was the senior contact on the employer’s whistleblowing policy. The Operations Manager assured Maz that she and her team would not be at risk. After an investigation, the manager admitted his error. Maz’s team wanted some sanction against the manager so we checked that she had no further suspicion of fraud and advised that she and her team had laid a strong marker for behaviour they would not tolerate in the future.

Months later, Maz rang to say she had rebuilt a good relationship with her manager and her team was doing well.

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Care worker thanked for raising patient safety concerns

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Manisha (not her real name) worked as a senior care coordinator in a care home. A member of staff forgot to give some residents their medication so the home manager flushed the remaining packs of drugs down the toilet to cover-up the mistake. Manisha raised her concerns to head office who suspended the manager and the member of staff pending an investigation. Manisha felt uncomfortable about this.

We reassured Manisha that it was positive that senior managers were taking the concern seriously and thanked her for her efforts. We advised her to speak to the investigator if she felt victimised for raising her concerns or if the manager or anyone else was trying to find out the identity of the the whistleblower. Manisha was thanked by senior managers and the concern was resolved without her being victimised.

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