New guidance on whistleblowing has been issued by the British Standards Association and ‘Pubic Concern at Work’- the whistleblowing charity. 2008 marks the tenth anniversary of the Public Interest Disclosure Act. Here is the effect:

The PAS (Publicly Available Specification) explains why whistleblowing is now seen across private and public sectors as an essential element of risk management.  We now explain how it can be used as a key tool in tackling fraud and crime in your business. 

While the Public Interest Disclosure Act sets an international benchmark for reporting mischievous colleagues, only 40% of employees in UK businesses feel comfortable reporting misconduct say Public Concern at Work.

By implementing a sound whistleblowing policy in your workplace, you can iron out creases that you previously were unaware of.

Mike Low, Director of the BSI, said, “PAS 1998:2008 meets a real need for guidance in this area.  Every organisation faces the risk of something going wrong.  Rather than shying away from whistleblowing, good organisations know that allowing employees to raise issues in a supportive environment brings real benefits.”

To implement a sound policy, you need:

·        Fail-safe channels and confidential advice

·        Building employee trust

·        Providing for external disclosures

·        The role of leadership

·        No cover up

·        Anonymous reporting

Beware however, of the whistleblower with an ulterior motive, bullying and harassment.

The Net Lawman whistleblowing policy has been updated to take account of these changes. Buy your whistleblowing policy from this page

This entry was posted on Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 9:41 am and is filed under Employment, New law which affects your business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.