Effective Whistleblower Mechanism

An old quote says a good start is half the job done. Similarly, for effective implementation of the whistleblower mechanism, a good start is critical.

Launch: Few tips for a strong launch of whistleblower mechanism is as below:

• The reporting option must be available 24/7/365
• The mechanism must be communicated to the last mile of the employees
• Ensure that policies and training material contain the key component of whistleblower mechanism, including the definition of reportable un-ethical practices, how to report, and what after someone makes a complaint.
• The mechanism must include options for anonymous reporting of complaints.

Awareness: It is good to have a whistleblower mechanism, which will help in the identification of wrongdoing within the organization. However, it can only be effective if employees know it well. Few guidelines for the creation of employee awareness around whistleblower mechanism is as below:

• Tone from the top – these are strategic initiatives and cannot meet its objective without a tone from the top. A top management communication around the program will help to have stronger awareness among employees.
• Training – schedule a communication drive, at the time of the launch of the whistleblower mechanism. Thereafter a periodic training/communication must be organized to refresh the program. Awareness about the whistleblower mechanism must be part of the on-boarding process as well.
• Promotional materials – communication posters hanging in common areas, containing brief of the program, will help in last-mile communication and refresher to the employees.

Internal vs. external: Employees need comfort in the seriousness of management to listen and act on the whistle blower complaints. Management of the whistleblower mechanism by an external specialist organization helps in providing this comfort to the employees. Also, as expert organizations have dedicated experts to manage this process, they can handle the process with high confidentiality, professionalism, and lower cost.

Quality of complaints: Employees may start filing reports on HR-related issues that don't relate to un-ethical practices defined in a whistleblower policy. To handle this problem, employees need to be made aware of the difference between un-ethical practices and other issues. The same must be defined in the whistleblower policy as well as training material.

Periodic review: On a periodic basis, management must assess the volume of legitimate complaints against unethical practices vs. total complaints. If there is a higher volume of complaints, which are not related to unethical practices, this may reflect the required improvement in the communication of the whistleblower mechanism. Accordingly, the same need to be improved upon.

Action and closure: No / delayed action on the complaint will discourage employees from using the whistleblower mechanism. Action must be taken on time and communicated to the whistleblower.

Summary: If some unethical practices are happening within the organization, there must be some other person who knows about it. People may not feel comfortable reporting this face to face, considering the fear of retaliation. Given the chance, most employees would prefer to report wrongdoing anonymously. By this, the company will become aware of unethical activity earlier, thereby saving time and money.