The best way to protect oneself from workplace bullying is to work in a culture where bullying is not tolerated. Employers have a responsibility to create a safe and respectful workplace environment and to address any incidents of bullying that may arise.

Some individuals may be motivated by a genuine concern, but lack the appropriate evidence to support their claims. In such cases, it's important to address the underlying issues that are causing the complaint and work with the individual to find a resolution.

A whistleblower service is an essential aspect of good governance as it allows individuals to report any wrongdoing, corruption or unethical practices within an organization without fear of retaliation or retribution.

On 11 June 2021, Standards Australia released the latest Fraud and corruption control standard, AS 8001:2021. This latest standard now underpins and provides minimum requirements for all businesses large and small within Australia to create, manage and report on fraud and corruption.

ASIC has recently (13 October 2021) released a statement on their website asking “CEO’s of public companies, large proprietary companies and trustees of registerable superannuation entities (RSEs) urging them to review their whistleblower policies to ensure they comply with the law.”

The ISO 37002 guidelines are likely to be the future global standard for organizational whistleblowing. Taking into account organizations’ legal frameworks on whistleblowing and related topics such as data protection, issuance of practical guidelines are likely to be a much-welcomed development. Organizations can prepare for future guidelines by mapping the whistleblowing structure they have in place.

Always be aware of who you are emailing and if needed recheck the email address rather than automatically replying to a known email account.

Hear from Andrew McLeish about our whistleblowing experts and learn about best practice whistleblowing programs to ensure compliance with the new legislation.