Log in or become a subscriber

A "cultural shift" is required to improve many employers' speak-up programs, ensuring that all complaints, reports and disclosures are treated with equal respect and dignity, experts say.

When organisations don't have good processes, and reports and whistleblowing aren't managed well, employees are more likely to turn to making a disclosure externally, Whistleblower Project lawyer Madeleine Howle tells HR Daily.

"They're essentially being pushed up through the regulatory framework into making an external disclosure, which actually then exposes them to more risk, particularly [if] they're going to the media," she explains.

The shift that's required starts with greater awareness, because a lot of employees don't realise, when they first speak up about a systemic issue in the workplace, that they're whistleblowing, Howle says...