Companies need to be proactive when it comes to constructing their whistleblower policies, according to Julie Brook writing for California’s Continuing Education of the Bar. “A potential whistleblower need only run a quick Internet search to find many attorneys ready to take his or her case,” she warns.
To combat this, Brook recommends several following policies and procedures be implemented into the company handbook. The areas companies need to focus on include:
- Anonymity: Brook says reporting procedures should allow employees to give information about wrongdoing anonymously. However, it needs to be clearly explained that anonymous allegations must include proper supporting evidence, and because anonymous whistleblowers won’t be interviewed, it will be more difficult to evaluate the credibility of the claims.
- Right of Access: “Whistleblowers are ‘reporting parties,’ not investigators,” notes Brook, and it’s important to remind all employees of this point. No one should be conducting his or her own investigation into potential malfeasance.
- No Retaliation: It’s imperative for all workers to understand they have a right to be protected from retaliation when bringing information forward. However, this doesn’t mean they have immunity for any complicity they might have in the wrongdoing they’re reporting, says Brook.
