Jessica O'ConnorAwareness of whistleblowing has become more prominent in recent years, with whistleblowing reports increasing by 16% year-on-year in 2024, data from Safecall has revealed.
Safecall’s flagship annual Benchmark Report, which tracks the trends and fluctuations in global whistleblowing reports, revealed the non-profit sector was the most active in making reports, with one report being made for every 100 employees.
Other sectors reporting more than the Safecall average (one report for every 370 employees) included the food processing/wholesale sector and emergency services.
When looking at what drives reports, HR-related complaints continued to top the list.
This included bullying, discrimination, and unfair treatment, with over half of these reports falling under this category (55%).
On the other hand, reports related to bribery, corruption, fraud and theft made up nearly one in five reports (19%), a record high from previous years.
Housing associations saw the largest number of these reports, with 60% reporting about dishonest behaviour.
The Benchmark Report also revealed that anonymous reporting is on the rise, with the majority of whistleblowers within the emergency services opting to remain anonymous (86%), followed by those within the aviation industry (76%).
Meanwhile, reporters within support services were more likely to share their identification details (58%).
A few key trends account for this difference – ‘blue-collar’ sectors and industries where workers are less often office-based tended to have a higher percentage of phone reports, and those reporting over the phone were more inclined to share contact details for further questioning.
Joanna Lewis, managing director at Safecall, said: “It’s clear to see that employees across various sectors are becoming more confident making reports, utilising their whistleblowing facilities and highlighting wrongdoing in their workplace.
“Our report shines a light on sector-wide issues, and highlighting these trends helps industries take decisive action to improve their workplace culture and the wellbeing of their workforce.
“Ultimately, we are taking a step in the right direction, and as organisations continue to promote ethical practices and build trust within their speak-up systems, we should expect to see a continued increase in reporting levels – allowing companies to investigate appropriately and ensuring malpractice does not slip through the cracks.”
