From safeguarding public interests to protecting those of organisations in all sectors, the value of whistleblowing is increasingly well recognised. Numerous recent cases show that whistleblowing is one of the most effective ways to uncover corruption, fraud, mismanagement and other wrongdoing that threatens public health and safety, financial integrity, human rights and the environment.

This makes it essential that organisations encourage people to speak up against misconduct, by providing them with safe, effective internal reporting channels and robust protection from retaliation. If people feel unsafe to speak up internally, they may turn to the authorities or even make a public disclosure, depriving an organisation of the chance to address the issue before it escalates. Or they may simply stay silent, and wrongdoing that threatens the public interest and an organisation’s finances and reputation can remain unaddressed.

Recognising this, an increasing number of national laws require organisations to implement an internal whistleblowing system (IWS) that enables employees and stakeholders to raise concerns internally about potential misconduct. For instance, in European Union member states, most public and private organisations are obliged to have an effective IWS that provides safe, confidential reporting channels, protects whistleblowers from retaliation and addresses their reports.

Best-practice systems bring powerful benefits

An effective IWS is a powerful risk...

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