Experts say processes should be clear and transparent so investigators can feel confident dealing with complaints and employees feel safe to raise them
More than two fifths (42 per cent) of employees responsible for managing whistleblowing complaints have either self-taught, learned their skills through experience, or have no experience at all, a report has found.
The study by whistleblowing and compliance services provider Safecall, which surveyed HR managers and directors from 222 organisations, found that for those companies that provide internal whistleblowing services, only 58 per cent of their investigators had been formally trained.
The report also discovered that while 17 per cent of respondent organisations lacked a whistleblowing policy, the majority (83 per cent) did have one in place.
More than half (57 per cent) of HR professionals surveyed believed that their employees were actively encouraged to report wrongdoing. However, just 42.6 per cent said employees “generally feel safe” to do so and the majority (74 per cent) of HR professionals could not be certain that whistleblowers were confident in raising concerns.
Guy Guinan, employment partner at Gateley Legal, said several positives can be derived from a policy that emphasises how employees can bring matters to their employer’s attention. It should also not be “overlooked that a whistleblowing policy may help employers avoid or at least reduce the risk of employment claims”, he added.
“A policy that has been...
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