Vertical Markets

Whistle-blowing reviewed

by Mark Rowe

The National Audit Office reviewed 39 whistle-blowing policies across government against eight criteria, on a five-point scale.

The report says: “We identified common areas of strength and areas for improvement. We often found strong performance in setting a positive environment for whistleblowing to occur. In general, the policies aimed to engage with whistleblowers; they clearly expressed the importance of whistleblowing to the organisation, and highlighted the moral obligation to report concerns. However, the policies we reviewed sometimes failed to outline suitable alternatives to line managers when making a disclosure or explain when the confidentiality of a whistleblower may be compromised. Some policies did not mention the risks and limitations of disclosures outside the organisation or highlight the benefits of seeking independent advice.”

As the NAO notes, the term whistleblowing can have negative connotations of telling tales or being disloyal to colleagues. Some bodies choose to use the terms ‘raising a concern’ or ‘speaking up’ in their policies to avoid these negative associations.

The NAO reviewed its own whistleblowing policy. “We found it was strong in two areas: reassuring the reader that the leadership team is committed to high ethical standards and will welcome any concerns; and providing named contact details for potential whistleblowers to approach. It could be improved in some areas, for example including a flow chart to guide the reader through the process and explaining the risks of disclosure to the media.”

The report summed up that for a whistleblowing policy to be successful the organisation must create the right culture. An organisation with an open and accountable environment, with those at the top taking the lead on the whistleblowing policy, can show that whistleblowers’ concerns are taken seriously and valued. Such organisations can tackle risks to the organisation, employees and the public early on.

“The policy must be supported throughout the organisation and be led or sponsored by an appropriate member at the most senior level. They should ensure that the policy
is periodically reviewed and that it is working effectively. The policy development should involve senior managers, staff associations, trade unions and any other interested
parties such as providers or specialist staff. The sponsor should make sure that policy development and good practice is reflected in the policy and its implementation.

“The main contacts for whistleblowing disclosures should have the full support of the organisation, the power to respond to disclosures and have access to relevant staff and information. These contacts must be able to give advice on the policy, and help others to make or receive reports and support whistleblowers and managers. They must be accessible and approachable. They must remain impartial but be friendly and engaged and have experience of investigative interviewing techniques.

The NAO will next report in more detail how policies are implemented and publicised, and the skills and culture needed to support an effective policy.

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