Which whistleblower cases are of public interest?

According to the new EU directives and the new Swedish Whistleblower Act, whistleblower cases must exist for violations of the law or misconduct that is of general interest. This is relatively clear, but something that is less clear is what actually counts as "public interest".

It can be particularly difficult to determine whether a whistleblower case is of general interest if the whistleblower is personally involved. In this post, we take a closer look at which whistleblower cases may be of general interest.

Determining whether whistleblowing is of general interest

• The number in the group whose interests favored the whistleblower - even if it is not in itself a decisive factor;
• The nature of the interests involved and the extent to which they are affected by the wrongful act disclosed - a disclosure affecting a very important interest is more likely to constitute a public interest than a disclosure of a trivial nature;
• The nature of the fault revealed - especially when it is an intentional act of wrongdoing;
• ‍The identity of the alleged perpetrator - a revelation concerning a more prominent perpetrator is more likely to be in the public interest.

This is not to be considered as rules for which is in the public interest and not, but by using the points above, it can be easier to know if something is in the public interest.

Also read: 4 Common Myths About Whistleblowing

What you as an employer should keep in mind when it comes to whistleblowing

Even if your organization has previously had some type of whistleblower solution, there are plenty of organizations that previously lacked similar features and are now in need of offering these solutions under the new EU directive.

Things that you and your organization need to keep in mind include:

• What your reporting channel should look like (email, phone line, web-based solution)
• Who should be the person, or the department that is responsible for following up on reports, or if this should be an external party
• When and how follow-up and subsequent communication about cases should take place
• How you as an organization should protect and maintain the whistleblower's anonymity / confidentiality

A professional complete solution for whistleblowing

To make it as easy as possible to implement a whistleblower solution, professional complete solutions, such as Visslan, are available. Here you will find a comprehensive whistleblower solution for your organization, for example with a whistleblower policy, external case management and a secure and effective reporting channel.

If you have any questions or concerns about whistling or about Visslan's services, you can always contact us. We are happy to help.