Exploring Public Concern At Work’s 2015 Whistleblowing Reports

The charity Public Concern at Work (PCaW) has released its 2015 YouGov survey that explores the outcome of numerous documented cases of whistleblowing in the workplace.

This report is accompanied by another report from PCaW which is intended to delve deeper into the actual experience of whistleblowing and the personal effect it has on the individual at the centre of a case.

The latter report consists of 1,000 whistleblowing cases that were referred to PCaW’s Advice Line during 2014. The PCaW advice line provides support to UK whistleblowers and has been an active part of the charity since its introduction in 1993, having assisted upwards of 18,000 whistleblowers over the past 22 years.

The difference between the two reports reveals different insights into the reality of whistleblowing as detailed below.

Results of the 2015 YouGov survey into whistleblowing

The YouGov survey from PCaW shows that 74% of UK workers associate the term ‘whistleblowing’ in a positive or neutral light; a sentiment that acts in contrast to the real treatment that many whistleblowers receive from their co-workers and/or employers after they speak out.

This survey also reveals that at some time within the last two years 11% of UK workers felt anxiety over their belief that malpractice was occurring in their workplace, with the result of such corruption having the potential to put employee lives at risk or the lives of the general public.

A concerning statistic of the survey is that only 59% of the 11% expressing these concerns chose to act on their feelings by informing an employer. This is a clear indication that UK businesses need to do more to help employees feel comfortable enough to voice their concerns without fear of reprisal.

Another area of concern is that 67% of UK workers were not aware that UK employment law legislation ensures that whistleblowers have the right to be free from persecution no matter what the nature of their whistleblowing.

One positive statistic brought up by the survey is that 81% of the workers involved in the research said they felt that they could whistleblow without suffering unfair treatment from their employer. Another constructive outcome of the survey is that 48% of the workers polled stated they were aware of their employer actively enforcing a whistleblowing policy through which workplace concerns could be expressed. This is a 6% rise over the results of the 2013 YouGov survey.

Results of the 2015 PCaW report into whistleblowing

The PCaW whistleblowing report looks more deeply at the actual results of whisteblowing and has found many interesting details that the YouGov survey does not detail. This report involves personal testimony from over 2,000 working adults in Britain, revealing a number of significant differences in the relationship between UK employees and employers.

A major area of interest is that 52% of employers are recorded as having either ignored or outright denied the potential legitimacy of whisteblowing claims brought to them. Although this figure is a positive 11% decrease over PCaW research conducted in 2013, it remains a significantly high number that needs to be dealt with.

The report’s most disappointing revelation is that a huge 80% of UK whistleblowers were faced with some form of backlash by their employer, the result of which was that they were unfairly dismissed or felt forced into resigning. Reacting to these results, Cathy James, the Chief Executive of PcaW, expressed the regret her charity feels at this reality:

“It is unacceptable almost eight out of ten whistleblowers contacting our advice line suffer some sort of reprisal for raising a concern. It is clear much work must be done by organisations to inform, inspire and celebrate workers when it comes to whistleblowing.

One optimistic result of the report is that 33% of UK whistleblowers believe that their case was dealt with fairly and that ultimately they were satisfied with the treatment they received. This is a 26% increase over the 2013 report, suggesting that whistleblower protection is being taken into account by many UK employers.

Regarding the final outcome of the report, Cathy James summed up PCaW’s overall reaction:

“While the perception of whistleblowers in society is increasingly positive and when asked hypothetically our respondents thought they would to do the right thing, we are seeing that more staff are unwilling to speak up. This must, in part, be due to the lack of awareness around legal protection and the fact in reality whistleblowing is still a risky activity for a large number of our clients. Although the improvements we are seeing in the way that the concern is being handled are welcome, these findings must be interpreted in the broader context of how the whistleblower is being treated.