Who are whistleblowers and what role do they play in the organization in 2023?
In today’s dynamic world, the functioning of organizations is becoming increasingly complex and requires a thorough understanding of processes, interpreting events happening between many often dispersed employees. In this situation, whistleblowers play a crucial role. Who are these extraordinary experts and what role do they play in the organization?
Whistleblowers: between information and analysis
“Whistleblower” as a term meaning whistleblower has entered circulation in the United States already in the early 1970s. In Anglo-Saxon culture, it is understood much more broadly. This refers to someone who rightfully reports irregularities, often doing so publicly.Whistleblowers, also known as signal analysts, are specialists who deal with the analysis and interpretation of various data and trends to draw conclusions and forecasts crucial for strategic decision-making.Also referred to as “whistleblowers”, they are individuals reporting irregularities within the organization. The whistleblowers module in emplo provides a secure and anonymous channel of internal communication with the person responsible for receiving and reviewing such reports in the organization.
The role of whistleblowers in the organization
Whistleblowers act as independent thinkers who remain independent from conventional thinking in the organization. This enables them to avoid groupthink traps and allows them to look at problems from different perspectives. Their task is whistleblowing, which is the basis for further actions based on reported irregularities.Whistleblowers who expose abuses within companies and public institutions give management bodies the opportunity to react quickly and thus limit losses.
What is whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing is the procedure of disclosing illegal, unacceptable, or immoral practices conducted within an organization by current or former employees to other individuals or institutions that can take action.Preventing abuses is, in practice, an uneven and difficult fight. While at the declaration level most people criticize unethical behaviors, in practice, informing about them is difficult, and sometimes borders on heroism. Unfortunately, most whistleblowers who dared to report a problem had to face ostracism at work, lost their jobs, needed legal assistance, and often their only ally was the media.
EU directive and rights and obligations of whistleblowers in Poland
Adopted in October 2019, the European Parliament directive obliges member states to provide appropriate protection mechanisms for whistleblowers. Despite the lack of a Polish law, the EU directive clearly sets requirements for entrepreneurs. The basis is the introduced secure internal communication channel, which enables whistleblowers to report notifications. What form can it take? So far, there have been 3 types distinguished:
- Internal reports– submitted through internal systems such as helpline, dedicated mailbox, or module on emplo.
- External reports– received by the Office of the Ombudsman.
- Public reports– disclosed to the public through the media.
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