Whistleblowing – for Businesses

What is whistleblowing?
When an individual reports information about wrongdoing, it is colloquially known as having blown the whistle, hence the term “whistleblower”.

In an employment context, a whistleblower may be protected from suffering a detriment or dismissal on the grounds of reporting that wrongdoing, if what they have done amounts to a “protected disclosure”.

We regularly support businesses in addressing claims by employees who believe that they have been subjected to a detriment or have been dismissed because of raising concerns about wrongdoing or “whistleblowing”. Understanding the employment law protections afforded to whistleblowers can be complicated and we are able to assist the business in identifying whether the individual is protected by the whistleblowing legislation and whether they have made a disclosure of information that is a “protected disclosure”.

We can also assist the business with the introduction of an appropriate whistleblowing policy and procedure. This may be a legal obligation for some businesses such as those subject to regulatory compliance (such as those in the financial services sector regulated by the PRA and the FCA or companies with a premium listing). For other businesses, it may be a matter of good practice in order to encourage employees and workers to raise, in a confidential process, concerns that they may have about illegal practices or wrongdoing in the business.