In recent news, there have been discussions over a whistleblower (who has since come forwards) who has talked in detail about how the company Facebook is managed and run. This has caused a lot of distress for the company and left them having to answer a lot of questions.
It is important that every company has a Whistleblower Policy to help manage any issues that may arise. It should be noted that the kinds of issues that are reported via whistleblowing are serious and can include instances of fraud, malpractice and other law-breaking from within the company. It is not the kind of complaints that might lead to a Constructive Dismissal Claim being brought against the company by a professional team at a firm like Employmentlawfriend.co.uk
Having a policy in place gives employees an avenue where they can bring potential issues to the attention of a designated person within the business who will then carry out any investigation that is needed. All of this will be done with the anonymous information that has been brought forwards. This then allows the company to complete an internal investigation without it being brought to the attention of the wider business community.
The policy can also outline what would happen if a whistleblower were to be slandering individuals so as to ensure that facts are shared but not personal opinions that could be libellous and damage the company further.
Legal protection for those who speak up
A policy works best when staff understand what whistleblowing means and what protection they have. Whistleblowing has been described as the identification and public exposure of facts which, in the opinion of a reasonable person, reveal negligence, improper management or other wrongdoing in the work environment.
Employees who witness or experience improper treatment at work, including violence or conduct that affects colleagues’ working conditions, have the right to raise it, and in some cases to take legal action against the employer. Employers are generally well aware of their liability for issues such as sexual harassment and discrimination, and they remain responsible for how those issues are handled.
Laws exist to protect whistleblowers so that they need not fear reprisals or losing their job for revealing bad practice. The aim is that no employee should feel unable to report wasteful practices, illegal activity or anything else that should not be happening. A clear policy helps make that protection real in everyday working life.