Public consciousness has swung in favour of whistleblowers who speak up against wrongdoing as they shine a light on malpractice. This in turn has forced organisations to ensure that they have good governance arrangements in place to make them viable, ethical and competitive in today’s workplace culture.
A Protect survey conducted by E&Y found 93% of organisations said they have formal whistleblowing arrangements in place however only 43% of UK workers were aware of a whistleblowing policy at work. This shows a big gap when it comes to communication and training.
Whistleblowers are the most likely source of information regarding fraud and wrongdoing in any company and a good whistleblowing scheme is incredibly cost effective. So surely all companies have spent time considering what good looks like?
Good whistleblowing arrangements can help your organisation:
- Deter and detect wrongdoing early – employees can flag danger, risk, and workplace wrongdoing
- Can act as part of a company’s fraud prevention system as it minimises financial loss and inefficiencies
- Keep corporate identity safe from reputational risk; safeguarding the integrity of the business for the public and demonstrate accountability to regulators
- Create a healthy, ‘good place to work’ culture where staff feel safe to speak up. Helping improve staff retention and attract the right candidates.
- Boost your CSR and public facing corporate identity
Business Development Director, Jon Cunningham said, “We see whistleblowers as providing the gift of information; they are the eyes and ears of any organisation. Employees, especially new ones, are often the first to identify when things go wrong before the company’s Audit, AML, Compliance or Safeguarding functions come into play.
He added, “Public, private and third sector organisations should take whistleblowing seriously and recognise the benefits it brings. ”
Many organisations may be concerned about the need to get in place arrangements due to regulators, the new EU Directive on whistleblowing, or other international laws. However it’s always worth remembering the bigger reasons as to why whistleblowing matters.
By Senior Sales Executive Kushi Gujral