Blowing the whistle

The International Labour Organisation describes whistleblowing as ' the reporting by employees or former employees of illegal, irregular, dangerous or unethical practices by employers'. Whistleblowing is needed in democratic societies for a variety of reasons. Apart from the general principles of transparency and integrity, it may also be vital to safeguard the health and safety of the general public, for example in relation to hazardous industries or terrorist activity.

Whistleblowing can benefit employers through the provision of information about problems at the workplace. Indeed, there is considerable evidence that workers are often in the best position to know whether there is malpractice within an organisation. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, tipsters (whistleblowers) are the single most effective source of information in detecting corporate crime.

David Lewis examines the reasons why organisations need whistleblowing procedures and looks at what they should contain ... READ MORE

Released by ICSA - Governance & Compliance - July 2012