Calls for changes to treatment of whistleblowers

An employment law Professor has claimed that a change in work culture is necessary to encourage employees to use the proper internal channels to report corporate wrongdoing, and to stop future public disclosures of malpractice.

According to David Lewis, Professor of Employment Law at Middlesex University, employees should be rewarded for highlighting malpractice such as bribery of fraud, rather than punished. Speaking at a University debate, he said: “If companies are prepared to protect, compensate or even reward whistleblowers, then other employees are more likely to confidentially report wrongdoing through the proper systems, ultimately avoiding embarrassing and financially damaging public disclosures for their company, made via the media or internet.”

Professor Lewis also claimed that criminal charges should be brought against organisations that had bullied or harassed whistleblowers, to deter other companies from treating future whistleblowers in the same say.