Whistleblowing for employees
Who to tell and what to expect
You can tell your employer - they may have a whistleblowing policy that tells you what to expect if you report your concern to them. You can still report your concern to them if they do not have a policy.
There are other options if you do not want to report your concern to your employer, for example you can get legal advice from a lawyer, or tell a prescribed person or body.
If you tell a prescribed person or body, it must be one that deals with the issue you’re raising, for example a disclosure about wrongdoing in a care home can be made to the Care Quality Commission.
There’s a different whistleblowing process in Northern Ireland.
Making your claim anonymously or confidentially
You can tell your employer or a prescribed person anonymously but they may not be able to take the claim further if you have not provided all the information they need.
You can give your name but request confidentiality - the person or body you tell should make every effort to protect your identity.
If you report your concern to the media, in most cases you’ll lose your whistleblowing law rights.
What your employer or a prescribed person will do
Your employer or the prescribed person will listen to your concern and decide if any action is needed. You may be asked for further information.
You must say straight away if you do not want anyone else to know it was you who raised the concern.
You will not have a say in how your concern is dealt with.
Your employer or the prescribed person can keep you informed about the action they’ve taken, but they cannot give you much detail if they have to keep the confidence of other people.
A prescribed person cannot help you with your relationship with your employer.
If you’re not satisfied with how your employer dealt with your concern
Tell someone else (for example a more senior member of staff) or a prescribed person or body if you believe your concern was not taken seriously or the wrongdoing is still going on.
Contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), the whistleblowing charity Protect or your trade union for more guidance.