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Whistleblowers Blog

All you need to know about whistleblowing

We believe the more you know the better decisions you can make. Get guided by NorthWhistle’s knowledge center with constantly updated information about the EU whistleblowing directive. Here we collect all things whistleblowing from all perspectives. If you run a company, have employees, or are one, we give you the tools to find out more about what whistleblowing is and what it means for you.

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What is whistleblowing today?

Get all the insight into what whistleblowing is and what it means for your organisation today and tomorrow.

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What is the EU whistleblowing directive?

Get to know the background of the EU whistleblowing directive and how it affects you today, and tomorrow.

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Security At NorthWhistle

Read about our total commitment to security and how we work on keeping your data and people safe and anonymous.

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Whistleblower blog weekly posts from our experts

What Is and What Isn’t a Whistleblower Incident? – How to Tell the Difference
Whistleblowing is when someone raises the alarm about potential or ongoing fraud, corruption, waste, abuse, or an illicit activity that risks public health and safety. However, not every serious workplace incident meets the threshold for whistleblowing. Certain criteria must be met to make an incident worthy of whistleblowing. Here,

Email vs Digital Whistleblowing System: The Pros & Cons
With the EU whistleblowing directive in full swing, all organisations with 50 or more employees must have a secure and anonymous internal reporting channel to allow employees to highlight corruption or wrongdoing. In the scramble for compliance, many companies opted for the fast and straightforward solution of a dedicated

3 Ways Psychology Can Affect Whistleblowing in the Workplace
Humans are social creatures. For the most part, we like to go with the flow, stay with the “in-group”, and avoid confrontation. It’s an evolutionary trait that’s served us well over thousands of years. Just as our ancestors who huddled around a fire instinctively knew there was safety in

Whistleblowing training: Key benefits and how to get started
Written policies alone won’t cut it. Regular whistleblowing training is crucial for a safe, transparent, and inclusive workplace. Thanks to the growing trend of employees being encouraged to call out inappropriate and fraudulent workplace behaviour (coupled with the fact that employers are required by law to protect whistleblowers), whistleblowing

7 Ways Responsible Leadership Builds Trust

Throughout history, responsible leaders have played a significant role in shaping trust and ethical culture in societies around the world. How can private sector businesses use the same tools to cultivate a positive workplace culture, avoid wrongdoing and turn theoretical systems into successful practice? Responsible leadership is more than

Building Diverse and Inclusive Workplaces: 4 Things You Can Do to Support 

How can senior leaders help create a non-discriminative working environment? Creating a diverse and inclusive work environment has become vital in the face of growing worldwide discrimination.  According to research by the World Justice Project (WJP), 70% of countries have seen discrimination worsen between 2021 and 2022. Since 2015,

 7 Reasons Why Whistleblowers Are Vital for Companies in the EU 

Discover the important role whistleblowers play in safeguarding organisations, and how employers can better protect and support workers who want to do the right thing. These are the 7 key reasons that make whistleblowers vital for EU companies. In today’s rapidly evolving corporate landscape, maintaining transparency and ethical practices

7 steps to create, maintain & promote a speak up culture at work

The Significance of Speaking Up in Organisations and Strategies for Cultivating, Sustaining, and Enhancing a Culture of Open Communication at the Workplace Why is a Speak Up Culture important? Encouraging employees to maintain workplace ethics and fostering a culture of speaking up are vital aspects of addressing and resolving

[June 2023] State of whistleblowing: laws in Germany, Hungary & Ireland-Kosovo

More Member States are adopting the EU Whistleblower Directive and companies are faced with the task of modifying some of their processes and taking into account country-specific requirements and the transposition of EU-wide rules. In recent years, high profile corruption cases have led to public pressure on policy makers

[May 2023] State of whistleblowing: laws in Germany, Luxembourg & Czech Republic

As of April 25th, 2023, all European Union Member States have either introduced draft bills or adopted new national laws that will transpose the EU Directive on whistleblowing. Seven nations continue to face roadblocks in approving the new provisions. Slovakia, Poland, Luxembourg, Hungary, Estonia, Czechia, and Germany continue to

Finding the best whistleblowing software: is a demo worth it?

You may want to consider a whistleblowing software demo if you’re exploring your options or simply curious about how a whistleblowing tool works. Having the right whistleblowing software means you can catch early warning signs and address potential problems before they get unmanageable. Your whistleblowing software can protect you

Whistleblowing in Portugal: understanding the new whistleblower law

Portugal’s whistleblowing law transposing the EU Directive was approved on December 20th, 2021 and has been in force since June 18th, 2022. The new national rules are an upgrade. Portugal went from having one of the weakest legal protections for whistleblowers in Europe to being one of the first

How Is Whistleblower Protection Enforced in The EU?
In the past 15 years, the way whistleblower protection has been enforced in the EU has varied between Nation States. Not only has whistleblower protection been fragmented and insufficient across most EU States, but since the EU Directive was introduced in 2019, many European countries have not yet implemented

Whistleblowing in Ireland: understanding the new Irish whistleblowing law

Irish businesses and public sector organisations are busy implementing the new whistleblowing law Ireland legislators adopted on the first of January 2023. Member States are in the process of transposing the EU Whistleblowing Directive, legislation that will provide employees who disclose misconduct in their workplace with strong protection from

6 whistleblowing policy tips: how to communicate & encourage compliance

It’s not enough to implement a whistleblowing policy; company leadership must also effectively communicate it and encourage a compliance culture among employees. Researchers Henriksen and Dayton define organisational silence as the collective phenomenon of saying or doing nothing in response to problems an organisation face. This is concerning and

5 whistleblowing criteria to consider when submitting a whistleblower report

More and more companies in the EU learn the ins and out of receiving a whistleblower report. Knowing what information and the whistleblowing criteria your employees should follow before they submit the whistleblower report is important. The data your organization or business collects during the initial report will be

EU whistleblower anonymity laws & anonymous whistleblowing protection in 2023

The EU Whistleblowing Directive recommends but does not mandate full whistleblower anonymity when it comes to reporting wrongdoings. Generally, anonymous whistleblowers are not protected in most EU Member States. Employees who disclose misconduct must do so under the condition that they will be identified during the whistleblower investigation. Croatia,

8 consequences of not whistleblowing – risk management for companies

The consequences of not having a whistleblower system in your company can be steep, and you should make this a part of your risk management strategy to avoid the negative consequences. If you believe a whistleblower system is unnecessary, think again. Not having one can mean not being able

Whistleblowing for company groups: 4 tips for implementation & the benefits

Rio Tinto Group is the world’s second-largest metals and mining corporation and a company with operations in multiple countries. In 2019, the company faced a public scandal when executives failed to report significant delays in the expansion of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia. After having sounded the

3 recent whistleblowing cases you should know about: Austria, France, and Italy

Your business can learn a lot from some of Europe’s most significant recent whistleblowing cases. Whistleblowing is about “speaking truth to power” when internal corporate mechanisms for preventing fraud and corruption fail. Whistleblowers are often seen as heroes who put their lives on hold and careers at risk to

How Do You Know If You Have A Whistleblowing Case?

How do you determine what is a whistleblowing case and what isn’t? While this article doesn’t replace the specialized determinations trained investigators perform, it examines three common cases where breaches fall under the EU Whistleblower Directive. Whistleblower cases reported by employees have been instrumental in fighting tax evasion, fraud,

[January 2023] State of whistleblowing: laws in Finland, Bulgaria, & Belgium

One year after the deadline for transposing the EU Whistleblower Directive into national law, many EU Member States continue to lag behind when it comes to whistleblower protection. In November 2019, the Directive came into force. The whistleblowing EU directive includes provisions for establishing internal mechanisms for reporting wrongdoing

10 steps to encourage internal whistleblowing in 2023

When developing a whistleblower policy and managing their whistleblowing program, the Directive recommends employers include these important elements. Since the EU Whistleblower Directive was adopted in December 2019, businesses and public organisations have been working hard to develop their whistleblowing programs and implement effective internal reporting channels. This article

What is metadata collection? What types of metadata traces do we leave online?

Metadata is information about the data you create, especially through communication. Metadata is collected about your location, when you communicate, the device your use, search habits, duration of communication, and similar data about the people you are communicating. Reveals relationships. It can be used for advertising to understand what

[December 2022] State of whistleblowing: laws in Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Sweden

The transposition of the EU Directive into national laws continues to make advances. As of November 2022, 10 EU Member States, including Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, and Sweden, have finalized the transposition of the EU Directive. Other countries like Estonia, the Netherlands, and Greece

Whistleblower rights and protection: report wrongdoing well-informed

Recent disclosures like the Panama Papers, Cambridge Analytica, and the Fipronil egg contamination case reveal serious wrongdoings and raise questions about whistleblower rights and protection. These revelations were made by employees who were the first to know about the wrongdoing and made the difficult decision to blow the whistle

4 key characteristics of a whistleblower system

Knowing the top features of a high-quality whistleblowing system can help organisations and companies offer employees the right information, advice, and channel for reporting wrongdoings, while staying compliant with the EU Whistleblower Directive. This includes ensuring employees are equipped to identify the organisation’s ethical values and report any wrongdoings.

[November 2022] State of whistleblowing – laws in Cyprus, Germany, & Slovenia

With no time to spare Germany & Slovenia scramble efforts to move closer in line with the EU directive. Cyprus faces high-profile cases centered around retaliation against whistleblowers, meanwhile Uber makes the news in a not-so-positive way with whistleblowing claims of misleading the world about the benefits of the

6 must-have whistleblower metrics: the essential whistleblowing KPIs for reporting 

Having high-quality metrics for whistleblowing reporting (whistleblowing KPIs) means capturing useful data collected from and for your whistleblower program. This can help measure the effectiveness of the whistleblowing process and ensure it remains effective. The EU whistleblowing directive is only one part in the growing global pressure to motivate

Whistleblowing and ESG – the key to improving your ESG program score

ESG, or Environmental, Social, and Governance credentials that include a whistleblowing system are a crucial part of helping a business maintain its reputation with the public, promote compliance and accountability internally, and create a strong work culture. Having high standards for whistleblowing and ESG policies can help organizations mitigate

The 7-step whistleblower investigation process & checklist to follow

Receiving the first report of wrongdoing within the organization can be scary, let alone the whistleblower investigation process which follows. Not only will it say that there’s something bad going on within the business, but it will also imply that someone is feeling hurt directly or indirectly by this

Whistleblowing For Board Members

As of December 17 2021, all companies with 250 or more employees need to implement a whistleblowing system compliant with GDPR and their national EU Whistleblowing Protection Directive. The board members share a responsibility to oversee the organization’s arrangements for whistleblowing and ensure that the procedures lead to positive

The Truth About Whistleblowing, Confidentiality, Retaliation, and You

Not sure whether an incident applies to the whistleblowing policy, or do you fear disclosure to the person you’re reporting within your previous, current, or future organization? The fear of being disclosed to one or several individuals you want to report for misconduct is the most common objection to

NorthWhistle’s Essential Six

The fundamentals for great company culture, happy employees, and compliance with the EU whistleblower protection directive. Having a good, reliable whistleblower policy is crucial for any organization that wants to encourage a healthy and transparent atmosphere and stay compliant with the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive (2019/1937). The directive requires

Whistleblowing advice for accountants: how, when, & why speak up

Accountants in the industry are often key to the planning and control processes of their organizations. These accountants may find themselves faced with the dilemma of whether or not to blow the whistle on an organizational wrongdoing. Some people, both inside and outside the profession, would view the accountants’

Whistleblowing in Sweden: understanding the new Swedish whistleblower law

The Swedish government presents a bill to transpose the EU Whistleblower Directive. This means, among other things, that all businesses with at least 50 employees will be obliged to introduce channels for reporting malpractice, and whistleblowers’ identities will be protected. – A strong protection for our whistleblowers is important

Confidentiality at NorthWhistle

NorthWhistle is designed with anonymity, confidentiality, and security as top priorities. With our engineering background, we’ve raised the bar for how to guarantee total anonymity for the reporter resulting in a tool we wouldn’t hesitate to use ourselves. How do we ensure confidentiality? With both an interface that helps

How NorthWhistle Checks All The EU Directive boxes

At NorthWhistle we have broken down the EU directive to ensure compliance for all our customers. To further strengthen our offer we have looked at best practices from around the globe and implemented these into our tools. Designed, established and operated in a secure manner (art. 9.1.a)NorthWhistle is designed

7 Steps To Kickstart Your Whistleblowing Policy

A good whistleblowing policy will encourage your employees to speak up when any wrongdoing occurs, here are 7 steps to get you started with yours. Explain how the confidentiality of the whistleblower’s identity is safeguarded, and how the whistleblower is protected from retaliation or victimization. Clearly identify the types

EU Whistleblower Directive | Is Your Company Compliant?

How do you need to act to comply with the new whistleblowing directive? Did you know that if you are a company with over 250 employees in the European Union, the EU Whistleblowing Directive applies to you, and you need to be compliant by December 2021? Background  The EU

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