Why anonymous whistleblowing should be discouraged

Anonymous whistleblowing should be discouraged – but whistleblowing must always be supported.

We wrote recently about whistleblowing and the importance of having effective and agile whistleblowing systems that allow people to speak up early, openly and honestly.

As part of this we were clear that anonymous whistleblowing should be discouraged. Many people came back to us and asked – in a nutshell – why?

That’s understandable. On the face of it a concern raised is a concern raised, anonymous or not – and we absolutely do not suggest anonymous concerns should be ignored. However, effective whistleblowing is a cornerstone of a people-focused organisational culture that reduces barriers and inspires effective high-quality effort by all involved.

 

 

Why Discourage Anonymous Whistleblowing?

 

So if the point of whistleblowing is to encourage people to raise concerns in good faith without fear of reprisal, then anonymity does not meet this standard. To explain why let’s discuss the following issues:

1. Concerns must be raised in good faith. It is potentially toxic to a good working environment to have a route where anyone can raise a concern, however spurious – or even maliciously, and expect to have it acted on. People who do not raise concerns in good faith must face action.
2. The whistleblower themselves should be part of the process. They will be a key source of evidence and be the best person to help investigators decide where to focus their attention. Investigators face a barrier if the person raising them is unknown.
3. The whistleblower should take advantage of the protections on offer. The subject(s) of a concern may well be able to guess who raised it whether anonymous or not. The organisation is not in a position to as easily protect the anonymous whistleblower from retaliation.
4. Effective systems encourage people to raise concerns knowing they will be believed and protected. If people are not confident to do so it suggests a systemic problem still exists. This must be identified and addressed, not worked around through anonymity.
5. Whistleblowers naturally expect action, and speed. If they cannot be part of the investigation they may not see progress. They may therefore be dissatisfied or turned off from speaking up again.

Encourage openness by being open

 

The role of people who support whistleblowing and whistleblowers is not to act as a proxy or a shield. In many instances they are not trained or competent to do so. That is what trade unions or staff support services, HR and competent well trained line managers should do.

The point of whistleblowing is to encourage people to raise concerns in good faith without fear of reprisal

Remember, whistleblowers don’t have to be right – they just have to act in good faith.

One way of tackling the issue of anonymous whistleblowing is being clear about how you will address this scenario. An example policy statement you could adapt is:

“In some exceptional circumstances conducting an investigation into concerns raised will require revealing the identity of the member of staff who raised the concerns. This will not be done without the express permission of the staff member concerned, unless there is a legal requirement to disclose their identity. However, for this reason if a member of staff raises a concern anonymously it may not always be possible to do as full or detailed an investigation as the organisation would wish.”

It is important not to understate the role that education can have in encouraging whistleblowers to come forward.

 

Is Whistleblowing something we can help you with?