A confidential channel for employees, contractors, suppliers and customers to report concerns is an essential element of a holistic fraud strategy. Here are 5 reasons why people don’t raise concerns – so avoid these elements if you want to have an effective whistleblowing procedure.
Barriers to effective whistleblowing
No corrective action – Employees who were cynical of their organisations felt that nothing would be done if they came forward and reported the misconduct that they observed. May be more to do with managing expectations as well as communication.
No confidentiality of reports – Another concern for those who do not report misconduct is the fear that if they were to come forward with a report, their identities, as well as their suspicions, would be revealed.
Retaliation by superiors co-workers– employees felt that if their identities were exposed, they would have to suffer retaliation from their superiors or co-workers. The fear of retaliation caused them not to report misconduct.
Didn’t know the conduct was wrong – A lack of clarity about what conduct was acceptable and what was not also acted as a barrier. Different perceptions of what was normal and acceptable led to different attitudes towards whistleblowing.
Unsure whom to contact – A small number of the employees who did not report misconduct said they were unclear whom to contact in order to raise their suspicious of unethical conduct.
If you like this tip you might like our unique guidance and tools which are packed with lots of similar tips and tricks, as well as providing a complete toolkit to help you build an holistic fraud strategy.
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