The case of a recruitment agency alleged to have falsely claimed furlough money from the government shows the importance of robust internal whistleblowing policies and procedures, an expert has said.
The BBC reported last week that ex-employees of Yorkshire recruiters Brewster Partners have claimed the firm applied for grants under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) while staff were still working.
According to the BBC report, managers were recorded telling employees to delete social media posts suggesting they were working from home, in order to avoid detection while the company was claiming furlough money.
Brewster Partners said it had commissioned an independent legal review when it became aware of the allegations, which had found no evidence of misuse of the furlough scheme. However, it added it had referred itself to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) as questions ‘persisted’ over the content of internal Zoom calls.
Employment law expert Anne Sammon of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law, said: “The level of seniority of those involved in this case is worrying. We have seen smaller pockets of abuse of the furlough scheme through, for example, a department manager but not from the leadership of an organisation.”
“This also illustrates the importance of having robust whistleblowing policies and procedures that are trusted by employees. These enable concerns to be raised and resolved internally, thereby avoiding the potential reputational damage that can...
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