Fear of losing their job is the main reason why half of UK employees hesitate to report wrongdoing by employers.
A new study, commissioned Bloomsbury Square Employment Law found that 51% workers wouldn’t feel comfortable disclosing illegal activity by their employer. According to the study, fear of being fired was the main factor in this hesitation, with 45% citing it as their top concern.
39% of respondents also feared bullying or retaliation, and 36% were concerned about breaches in confidentiality.
The survey of 2,000 workers revealed a lack of confidence in UK employers, and the whistleblowing process. Over half of the employees surveyed said that they would feel uncomfortable reporting injustices (51%), or actions which harm the environment (52%).
In addition, less than one in five workers (17%) said they were confident that they would be able to keep their jobs after blowing the horn.
There were widespread concerns about the support of employers. 33% of employees doubted that their confidentiality would remain protected, and only 18% felt very confident they would be protected from retaliation.
The survey revealed that older workers (73% of those between 55 and 64) were more likely than younger employees (58% of those between 18 and 24) to report wrongdoing. Women also felt safer than men in reporting wrongdoing.
Will Burrows explains that recent scandals such as the Post Office Scandal could have been prevented if employees had spoken up earlier. He felt that the current lack of protection for whistleblowers discouraged people from raising their concerns. This could lead to future scandals.
Burrows stressed the need for urgent reform. He said: “Unless whistleblowers are better protected, people may avoid speaking out, and possible wrongdoing in the UK will continue to go unchecked.”
He said that only half of employees knew their company’s policy on whistleblowing. Some employees are confused, and may even consider using inappropriate channels such as social media to exercise their legal rights.
Burrows added, “We need the new Government to pass the Whistleblowing Bill that was first introduced in House of Commons back in January.”
The proposal included the introduction of new criminal and civil offences punishable with fines and/or prison terms for harming whistleblowers.
He said that without new legislation the equivalent of a Post Office scandal would only be a matter time.
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