Guide to Whistle Blowing and Employee Policy

Whistle blowing and employee Policy should go hand in hand. You know about the infamous whistleblowing cases that brought down the major corporations of Enron and Worldcom so you know whistle blowing in business happens frequently, though not necessarily to the extent of those unfortunate instances.

Having a whistle blowing policy in place communicates to your organization that you expect management as well as all of your employees to conduct themselves in an ethical manner. Having the organization's whistleblowing ethics stated in a clear manner will create an environment that encourages employees to come forward should they see something unethical occurring. A whistle blower policy should cover the following:

1. Your policy on whistle blowing must explain what type of behavior should be reported.

2. The policy should state that there will be no retaliation for whistle blowing by employees and explain what measures are in place that will prevent any retaliation.

3. Your policy on whistle blowing should list any laws that have been enacted in your state to protect whistleblowers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Create a clear chain of command on whistle blowing

Employees need to know how to report whistleblowing in business. You should set up a special hot line or mailbox for employee whistleblowing. A clear chain of command is required within your formal policy that dictates who is notified of reported violations. Every allegation of ethics violations must be investigated and communicated to your organization's governing body.

I recommend: Set up a hot line for employee whistleblowing by using service providers such as EthicsPoint or Fulcrum Inquiry.

Read a whistleblowing sample policy before designing your own

After reading how other organizations have crafted their whistle blowing policy, construct your own. You can keep the parts that you like and discard the ideas that don't mesh with your corporate policy.

I recommend: As you read other organization's whistleblowing policies remember to use them as a guide for your policy. Look at Wellco Energy and the University of California at Santa Barbara's policies for ideas. The MRSC has a host of samples to look at from the state of Washington.

Make whistleblowing policies widely available to your employees

Whistle blowing policies are great, but they do no good if they are not readily available to the employees. Posting the policy on whistle blowing in the employee break or lunch room will allow for easy access. If available, put the whistle blowing policy on your organization's intranet for ease of use.

I recommend: Check out HRHero.com for a variety of articles on whistleblowing and resources for you to create your whistleblowing policies. Resultor, LLC has a product called Resultor Policy Center™ that publishes your organization's policies and tracks the electronic distribution and acknowledgement that the policies have been read.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Be sure to consult with your organization's legal counsel before disseminating your whistle blowing policy.