Almost all employees would report malpractice in the workplace, with only 6% saying that they would never, according to new research from Safecall, an independent whistleblowing hotline service and a Law Debenture company. 

But while the vast majority of the workforce have good intentions, only 67% are confident they would know how to report malpractice, and only 53% believe they would remain anonymous. Concerningly 38% believe that if they were to report malpractice, there would be consequences at work.

Whilst it’s positive that the majority would report wrongdoing, the research reveals that many workers are not necessarily reporting to the correct people. Over half (52%) of employees would report malpractice to their line managers first. This could in turn increase the burden on managers, and also risks the incident being dealt with by a colleague who does not have adequate training to handle certain situations. This can ultimately lead to incorrect processes being followed, and reports not being dealt with sufficiently.

More than half (56%) of employees polled agree that using an independent whistleblowing service would be more trustworthy than using an in-house process should they ever report anything, and two-thirds (65%) believe that a proper whistleblowing process improves company culture. This is despite only 12% saying they would report to an independent whistleblowing hotline, possibly highlighting the need for more outsourcing of and awareness of such services.

This comes at a time when whistleblowing is in the spotlight with the EU Whistleblowing Directive driving conversations around the reporting of misconduct.  As of November 2024, all EU member states have passed new or reformed legislation compliant with the directive. In the UK, the Protection for Whistleblowing Bill is still going through Parliament, but the Workers Protection Act came into effect on 26th October 2024, and highlights the role of whistleblowing in fighting sexual harassment at work. Last year, Safecall saw its highest ever number of whistleblowing reports received from over 130 countries.

Joanna Lewis, Managing Director of SafeCall, commented: “It is encouraging to see that the vast majority of employees believe they would report malpractice at work – but the gap between people’s predictions of hypothetical behaviour and the reality when confronted with a bad situation can be vast. There remains a lack of trust within the workforce and a fear of repercussions, meaning some incidents are still being ignored.

“Anonymity, and thus a consequence-free environment, fosters a safe space. Being able to provide this to employees is key to reducing malpractice and taking the burden off managers and others, many of whom aren’t specifically trained to deal with certain situations. Having said that, some level of training is critical as its clear line managers are often a first port of call. And the focus for the business cannot stop at the report itself; the investigation must be thorough and fair too.

“Companies looking to create a positive, trustworthy and inclusive culture should consider utilising formalised independent whistleblowing solutions, as well as taking steps to properly promote these systems and processes internally so that employees have the confidence to report malpractice whilst remaining anonymous and free of consequence.”