Why is whistleblowing so important?

Whistleblowing is an important part of every company and organization. Although it has always been equally important, it is more on the agenda today as new laws within the EU require that solutions for whistleblowing in particular be implemented in all organizations that have more than 50 employees. You can read more about the benefits of whistleblowing in the post 6 Benefits of Whistleblowing on our blog. But the question remains, why is whistleblowing really so important?

Compliance with ethical rules

An important part of whistleblowing is that it makes it easier for employees to follow ethical rules. Partly because they become more aware of them, but because there is reprimand for when these rules are broken, the risk of crime in general decreases. You can read more about the psychology of whistleblowing in this study from 2015.

By offering a whistleblower solution in the workplace, and by regularly reminding of its existence, function and methodology, the chance of compliance with ethical rules in the workplace increases.

Well-being in the workplace

A whistleblower solution is one of the easiest ways to increase well-being in the workplace. This is because people who have previously experienced injustice or mistreatment may not have dared to say anything, or did not know how to proceed. When all employees have access to anonymous reporting channels and information about how whistleblowing takes place, what its purpose is and how the various channels work, well-being also increases.

This is because employees who have experienced malpractice or injustice suddenly have somewhere to turn to report this, and in connection with this, there is also an increase in the general well-being of the workplace.

It is important to note the differences between internal and external whistleblowing. This is because external whistleblowing can have negative effects on well-being in the form of stress and emotional trauma. This is discussed in the study "The negative health effects of external whistleblowing: A study of some key factors" from 2018 which highlights many of the shortcomings that exist in external whistleblowing, which is partly the basis for the new legal requirement for internal reporting channels within the EU.

Also read: 3 ways to encourage employees to report malpractice

Protect your organization and your brand

In fact, whistleblowing is not only a positive thing for your employees but also for your organization as a whole and the entire brand. The negative effects of external whistleblowing are hard to ignore. When negative information comes out in the media, it rarely results in positive trends for the company thereafter.

Whistleblowing is therefore an excellent way to avoid this, as employees can report injustices, inaccuracies and misconduct internally at an early stage. This allows you to handle this internally within your own organization and reduce damage to those affected, but also to the organization as a whole.

Also read: Should the whistleblower channel be on the website or intranet?

In summary

The amount of benefits of whistleblowing is too many to fit in a single post, but you can sum it up as whistleblowing is actually something that benefits both your employees and your organization. One can therefore ask oneself the question why one would choose not to offer whistleblowing within one's organization.

Are you in need of whistleblower services? Check out Visslan's services where we offer external case management and a standardized whistleblower policy, either separate or in the form of a complete solution, for your entire organization. Contact us for more information!