Whistleblowing-can you afford not to read this?

Why should companies offer a whistleblowing service?

Employers have a responsibility for the health and safety of their employees. If, after an employee has approached their line manager, or safety representative or trade union representative, about a risk to their health or the health of others (including members of the public) and he/she is not satisfied that it has been adequately dealt with, the law provides them with protection if they ’blow the whistle’ on their employer

Legislation- UK Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 The Act came into force on 2nd July 1999. It encourages people to raise concerns about malpractice in the workplace and will help ensure that organisations respond by addressing the message rather than the messenger; and resisting the temptation to cover up serious malpractice.

Though the Act does not require organisations to set up or promote any particular whistleblowing procedures, they are strongly recommended.

The Health and Safety Executive strongly supports measures which protect whistleblowers from any form of victimisation.

21st Century Business Ltd launched their Contact Point™ service today. It’s the first in the UK which offers an employee hotline as well as full business development support to the employer.
The benefits of having an employee hotline include:-

Pinpoint any issues before the damage is done and further losses incurred.
Most corrupt, illegal and immoral practices go undetected within many businesses because employees, aware these things are going on, fear the consequences of reporting them internally

Financial losses reduced. From stock items going missing to the subtly tweaked expenses claim, fraud is out of control. According to statistics, on average, between 2% and 5% of your business turnover is lost to fraud and theft every year. But that’s not all, there’s misconduct, unethical behaviour, bullying and harassment, falsification of records and drug or alcohol abuse too. Independent surveys have found issues such as these to be rife in businesses across the UK-most of which is unreported.

Most of your staff are honest and ethical but they are also fearful of retaliation or victimisation if they speak out. Independent surveys have indicated that 54% of staff questioned gave this as the main reason for staying silent. These are the staff who will probably leave your company or stay but suffer from work related illness

The people cost! Finding and keeping the best staff is one of the top issues for most businesses today. The last thing your business needs is employees suffering at the hands of others in the company, whether it be sexual harassment, bullying or other related matters. Health and well-being in the workplace is key to any businesses success. Find out what issues are in your businesses and help prevent your best staff going to work for your competitor. Improve staff morale and your company image

Resolve sensitive issues privately. Avoid costly industrial tribunal cases! Prevention is better than cure!

The message will get through! Some employees fear that if they alert their employer about an issue, the message may be blocked internally. By using an external, independent company like 21st Century Business Ltd, they are guaranteed to get their message through to the right people quickly.

Auditable procedures and compliance. Businesses need appropriate procedures to capture confidential and anonymous information. External and independent companies are increasingly being used to achieve this.

Contact 21st Century Business at Info@21stcenturybusiness.co.uk or www.21stcenturybusiness.co.uk

Contact Information

jayne allman

MD

21st Century Business

Contact via E-mail