policies & procedures
their employees to voice any concerns, ac-cording
to the International Handbook on
Whistleblowing Research, which was pub-lished
in 2014.
Having an effective ethical reporting
system that encourages employees or cli-ents
to report wrongdoing is an important
component of overall corporate gover-nance.
International research, reported in
the Journal of Financial Crime, has shown
that whistleblowing activities are one of
the best mechanisms for organizations
to detect internal wrongdoing and im-prove
overall organizational effectiveness.
A workplace culture that promotes “speak-ing
up” and reporting of wrongdoing can
empower employees to take an active role
in their workplace, improve shareholder
confidence and help create an environment
where employees feel free to contribute to
the advancement of the organization.
One of the most important components
of a successful system is that the employ-ees
believe in its efficacy. Employees are
more likely to pass along information if
they have confidence that by reporting
wrongdoing, their concerns will be tak-en
seriously and their actions will make
a positive change. This belief begins at
the top – the executives must actively
support the program, promote and dis-play
ethical behaviour and ensure there is
awareness among employees of how the
program works, the procedures involved
and the protections put in place for any
whistleblower.
Another concern for many whistleblow-ers
is the potential for reprisal. As a result,
organizations must help ensure that re-taliation
does not take place and that the
system itself is evaluated periodically to
give insight into its effectiveness to avoid
any potential issues. Offering a confiden-tial
method of reporting often alleviates
these concerns. It is also important to re-view
each case and help ensure that any
negative behaviour toward a whistleblow-er
is addressed immediately.
Whistleblowing Systems – A Guide was
developed to help organizations estab-lish
and manage an effective mechanism
for whistleblowing activities. The guide-line
provides a background on existing
Canadian laws and codes related to whis-tleblowing
as well as a summary of the
key performance benefits associated with
a whistleblowing system. In order to help
organizations develop internal systems
specific to their operations, the guideline
highlights key planning considerations
and identifies the target outcomes of a suc-cessful
system. It also addresses the most
critical issues in developing an effective
system, including the challenge of pro-tecting
whistleblowers from reprisals that
punish and silence them, and discourage
others from speaking out.
Although the elements of a whistle-blowing
system may vary depending on
organization size and business, the guide-line
defines the common critical elements
and provides recommendations for an
appropriate implementation approach.
Whistleblowing systems can become a
valuable part of a comprehensive occu-pational
health and safety management
strategy that promotes accountability and
gives workers a voice and influence within
their workplace.
Ultimately, an effective internal
reporting system can help both the or-ganization
and its employees. It allows
the organization to proactively address
any behaviour that is contrary to the
policies and procedures of the organi-zation,
and gives employees confidence
that their concerns will be appropriate-ly
addressed. n
Hilary Davies, MES is project manager,
Environment and Climate Change at CSA
Group.
A WORKPLACE CULTURE THAT
PROMOTES “SPEAKING UP” AND
REPORTING OF WRONGDOING CAN
EMPOWER EMPLOYEES TO TAKE AN
ACTIVE ROLE IN THEIR WORKPLACE,
IMPROVE SHAREHOLDER CONFIDENCE
AND HELP CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE EMPLOYEES FEEL FREE TO
CONTRIBUTE TO THE ADVANCEMENT
OF THE ORGANIZATION.
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40 ❚ JULY/AUGUST 2016 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
