Free Whistleblowing Policy Template

Whistleblowing Policy Template

Free Download

This free Whistleblowing Policy Template is provided by Safecall as a download for all businesses, charities and governmental organisations.

Why do you need a Whistleblowing Policy?

A whistleblowing policy template is the cornerstone of any whistleblowing or speak up reporting system.

Various legislatives acts across the world require employers to have a whistleblower policy in place to protect employees from being treated unfairly. Whistleblowers are protected by law in most countries around the world, but whether it is for regulatory compliance or otherwise, there are lots of benefits to having a stringent and effective whistleblowing system implemented for your business.

Implementing a Whistleblowing Policy

Implementing a clear whistle blowing policy encourages a safe culture where employee workplace issues and potential wrongdoing are raised early. This makes it easier for employers to address concerns and potentially prevent serious wrongdoing and reputational damage. Having a clear whistle blower policy template is a good place to start.

Raising Concerns

Employees that are looking to raise concerns are often concerned about retaliation. This could be retaliation either from the subject of the report or from the organisation itself.

Laying out the disclosure arrangements clearly in a dedicated whistle blower policy reassures employees that the organisation welcomes their concerns. The reporting person can be confident that the organisation has procedures to handle concerns raised confidentially and most importantly that they will be protected and supported.

Who should this whistleblowing policy template cover?

A whistleblower or whistle blower, is a worker who reports certain types of potential wrongdoing observed in the workplace. This misconduct must be in the public interest, affecting others, such as the general public.

As a whistleblower, you’re legally protected against unfair treatment or job loss for raising concerns. Reports can be made about past, present, or future incidents.

Legally protected individuals include:

Employees
Trainees
Agency workers
Limited Liability Partnerships (otherwise known as LLP members)

Types of Whistleblowing Concern

A good whistleblowing policy will clearly outline the types of concerns which should be raised and how to raise them and what to expect once concerns have been raised. This encourages employees to raise concerns with confidence.

Valid whistleblowing reports include:

Criminal offences (e.g., fraud)
Health and safety dangers
Environmental risks
Miscarriages of justice
Legal breaches
Cover-ups of wrongdoing

Non-Whistleblowing Complaints include:

Personal grievances (e.g., bullying, harassment). These are not covered unless they are in the public interest and should be reported under the employer’s grievance policy.

Promoting and publicising your whistleblowing policy

Promoting and publicising your policy is essential. Advice about whistleblowing from government, regulators and agencies offering sector certification is consistent. It is imperative that employees are encouraged to raise concerns and that it is easy and safe for them to do so. A key part of this is ensuring that your policy is well publicised and easily accessible to the whole of your workforce. This whistleblowing policy template is the perfect place to start your journey to building and promoting your whistleblowing best practice.