Whistleblowing Training

Each of our courses ends with a multiple-choice test to measure your knowledge of the material.

This Whistleblowing Training course concludes with a 20 question multiple choice test with a printable certificate. In addition, brief in-course questionnaires guide the user through the sections of the training and are designed to reinforce learning and ensure maximum user engagement throughout.

As well as printable user certificates, training progress and results are all stored centrally in your LMS (Learning Management System) and can be accessed any time to reprint certificates, check and set pass marks and act as proof of a commitment to ongoing legal compliance.

What does my certificate include?

Your Whistleblowing Training Certificate includes your name, company name (if applicable), name of course taken, pass percentage, completion date, expiry date and stamps of approval or accreditations by recognised authorities.

Please note if you are using our course content via SCORM in a third party LMS then we are unable to provide certificates and you will need to generate these in your host LMS yourself.

It’s important that you comply with the law and know the ways in which it affects you and the way you work.

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998

(PIDA) is derived from Part IV of the Employment Rights Act 1996. It aims to protect employees while making disclosures in the public interest. These disclosures include evidence of illegal activity or damage to the environment. Furthermore, it aims to protect these individuals should they be victimized for disclosing this information, this legislation could aid them in claiming compensation.

For an employee to qualify from the protection of this legislation, they must make a “protected disclosure” to the employer, prescribed person, legal adviser or an otherwise appropriate person.

A qualifying disclosure is any declaration of information which shows one or more of the following:

• dangers of health and safety
• risk or damage to the environment
• unlawful activities or criminal acts in an organisation e.g. fraud
• miscarriages of justice
• failure to comply with legal obligations e.g. organisations not having the right insurance
• the belief that someone is covering up wrongdoing

Business impact of PIDA Non-Compliance

If an employee blows the whistle on an organisation then they have the right to compensation from an employment tribunal which could cost thousands of pounds.

A recent example of someone being fined for whistleblowing includes Barclays boss being fined £642,430 for trying to unmask a whistleblower.

This is a great example of why whistle-blowing training applies to everyone in an organisation.

Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Whilst not focussed on whistleblowing there are provisions in place to hable the protection of personal data of companies complying on the lawful basis of processing whistleblower ’protected disclosures’ which includes respecting individuals rights

Business impact of GDPR Non-Compliance

Breaching a whistleblowers rights may subject you to private claims of compensation for damages suffered. This may be on a mental health basis, loss of earnings. These can be commenced by consumer protection bodies and unions on behalf of individuals.

The business may also be subject to a maximum fine under the EU GDPR is €20 million or 4 percent of the business’s total annual turnover.

It’s important that everyone at your organisation understands what Whistleblowing means, what legal protections they have, and what processes are in place for appropriately reporting their concerns.

Employees trained to understand Whistleblowing feel safer, increasing loyalty, and will draw attention to any wrongdoing, helping you act against it sooner. Strong protections and good awareness also increase the likelihood that misconduct can be dealt with internally, minimising the impact on your organisation’s reputation.

This Whistleblowing Training will equip your employees with the knowledge and the confidence to tackle wrongdoing, if it should ever arise, within your organisation.

Why should your business have a whistleblowing policy?

Any organisation can benefit from a whistleblowing policy as creating a hostile work environment is unproductive and will cost you time and money. Without a set policy in place whistleblowers can be subject to retaliation from employees and employers; retaliation against whistleblowers. Retaliation can take various forms, including ostracization, harassment, demotion, or even wrongful termination. These actions can instil a culture of fear in your workplace and may defer them from reporting genuine concerns.

Not only this but without a policy in place it escalates legal issues as it allows unethical behaviour to go unchecked. This can lead to serious legal and reputational issues. Unaddressed wrongdoing may result in financial fraud, safety violations, discrimination, or other forms of misconduct, exposing the organisation to legal liabilities, regulatory investigations, fines, lawsuits, and damage to your business’ reputation.

What should a whistleblowing policy contain?

A whistleblowing policy should provide clear reporting channels, outline investigation procedures, and ensure that whistleblowers are treated with fairness and respect.