'Create confidence' | Staff concerns over anonymity & correct procedure when whistleblowing

Almost all employees would report malpractice in the workplace, with only 6% saying that they would never, according to new research.

But while the vast majority of the workforce have good intentions, only 67% are confident they would know how to report malpractice, and only 53% believe they would remain anonymous. Concerningly 38% believe that if they were to report malpractice, there would be consequences at work.

These were the findings from Safecall, an independent whistleblowing hotline service and a Law Debenture company.

Whilst it’s positive that the majority would report wrongdoing, the research reveals that many workers are not necessarily reporting to the correct people. Over half (52%) of employees would report malpractice to their line managers first. This could in turn increase the burden on managers, and also risks the incident being dealt with by a colleague who does not have adequate training to handle certain situations. This can ultimately lead to incorrect processes being followed, and reports not being dealt with sufficiently.