World Whistleblowers’ Day 2025
23 May 2025
World Whistleblowers’ Day 2025 takes place on Monday 23rd June.
Our ‘we’re all ears’ campaign returns this year to raise awareness of whistleblowing, combat corruption and encourage a positive speak-up culture across all organisations.
In this article find the answers to some common whistleblowing questions, learn about a real-life whistleblowing case and explore additional support and guidance.
Whistleblowing FAQ’s
What is whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing is when an employee discloses information or “blows the whistle” on misconduct within an organisation.
Whistleblowing concerns can be raised if an employee has a reasonable suspicion that misconduct is or has taken place.
What comes under whistleblowing?
To be considered whistleblowing the concern must fall into one of the following categories, known as “protected disclosures.”
- A criminal offence – e.g. “I overheard Stephanie making plans to steal some laptops from the office.
- Failing to comply with a legal obligation – e.g. “My employer doesn’t allow employees to take paternity leave”
- Health or safety breaches / danger – e.g. “We’ve been told to keep making high risk house visits even though the safety devices have stopped working”
- Miscarriage of justice – e.g. “The council used inaccurate information to decide to remove a child from their home”
- Environmental damage – e.g. “When the team are done on a project, they just chuck the leftover material into a field to save the hassle of bringing it back”
- Failing to report or deliberately concealing any of the above
What protections do staff have when raising a concern?
Employees are protected by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, as well as their organisation’s whistleblowing policy.
What types of concerns do not come under whistleblowing?
For a concern to be whistleblowing it must be in the public interest, the interest of others, or the organisation itself must be at risk.
Personal grievances and complaints that relate to your individual employment are not covered by whistleblowing law and policies and as such should be raised under alternate council policies.
How do I report a whistleblowing concern?
If you have a reasonable suspicion and need to raise a whistleblowing concern at work, it’s important to first check your organisation’s whistleblowing policy.
This policy should identify what qualifies as whistleblowing and offer clear steps for raising a concern. Typically, the recommended initial step is to discuss the issue with your line manager however we understand that this may not always be possible.
If your organisation is a Veritau client, you have the option to call Veritau confidentially at 0800 9179 247 or email [email protected]. We will then share your concerns with senior officers.
Whistleblowing Case Study
A ruling in 2023 at an Employment Tribunal has seen Royal Mail being ordered to pay out its largest ever settlement of over £2.3 million to an employee in a case for unfair dismissal. In the case of Jhuti v Royal Mail, a former Royal Mail employee, Ms. Jhuti, successfully claimed she was unfairly dismissed for whistleblowing.
Mrs Jhuti had worked for Royal Mail since 2013 and shortly after she started her role, she noticed what she believed to be irregularities in the way in which her colleagues were securing their bonuses. Ms Jhuti raised these concerns with her line manager but was put under pressure to withdraw her allegations.
After raising her concerns and later retracting them, Ms Jhuti was repeatedly told that she was not meeting the performance requirements of her role and she was placed on an intensive performance improvement plan. This treatment led to a vast deterioration in Ms Jhuti’s health which resulted in her being signed off by a GP due to work related stress. An independent manager was appointed to decide if Ms Jhuti should be dismissed but was not provided with the evidence regarding the protected disclosures she had made. The manager therefore decided to dismiss her due to poor performance.
Ms Jhuti took Royal Mail to an employment tribunal in 2015, and the case was later heard at the Supreme Court in 2019. The Tribunal has ruled in 2023 that that the total sum to be awarded to Ms Jhuti was £2,365,614.
Further advice, guidance and support
- Protect (formerly Public Concern at Work) provides free confidential advice on how to raise a concern on 020 3117 2520.
- Contact the NSPCC or Ofsted for concerns about children at risk of abuse.
- Your whistleblowing policy – if your organisation has one – should have further details about who to contact if you are not satisfied with any responses.
Find out more
We conduct a wide range of investigations including whistleblowing allegations, fraud and corruption, misconduct, breaches of contract, and more.
You don’t need to have an annual support contract with us – we can support you with one-off investigations and projects. Read more about our whistleblowing services.
For academies and non-maintained schools, we provide a specialist whistleblowing support service.
Speak to a member of our team: [email protected] | 01904 552943
