Silence isn’t safety: Why whistleblowing needs a human touch
Integrity isn’t built in policies; it’s built in practice.
When someone speaks up, they’re not just raising a complaint, they’re raising a flag that something in your culture might be broken.
Across Australia, 15 separate whistleblower laws attempt to define how organisations should manage disclosures. But while legislation sets the rules, trust sets the tone. A whistleblower policy written in legalese won’t protect your people, or your brand, if it isn’t practical, human, and easy to use.
The reality check
According to the 2023 Speak Up Index, 43% of employees say they would stay silent rather than report misconduct for fear of retaliation or inaction. That silence doesn’t make problems go away; it buries them until they explode. And when they do, the fallout is fast and brutal: loss of trust, media exposure, regulatory investigation, and in some cases, criminal prosecution.
That’s why whistleblowing isn’t just a compliance exercise, it’s your advance warning system. Done right, it can protect your people, your profits, and your reputation.
Why many policies fail
We recently reviewed a whistleblower policy that ran to 34 pages. It ticked every legal box, yet not a single disclosure had been made in two years.
Here’s why:
- Too complex: The contact details for reporting were buried on page 27.
- Too many channels: Twenty-five possible people to report to, but no clarity on who to trust.
- Too much jargon: Legal definitions replaced plain English, leaving potential whistleblowers confused and afraid.
The result? Employees disengaged, issues went unreported, and the business unknowingly sat on a reputational time bomb.
The solution
A modern whistleblower system should be:
- Independent – creating psychological and procedural distance from internal politics.
- Accessible – simple to navigate and anonymous by design.
- Human-centred – written for people, not lawyers.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Veremark - their independent whistleblower platform goes beyond compliance. It gives your people the confidence to speak up safely and gives you the insight to act before headlines force your hand. Because when misconduct is allowed to grow in the dark, it’s your reputation that takes the hit, and rebuilding trust takes far longer than protecting it.
Don’t wait for the crisis, reach out to find out how we can help you build a culture of integrity that protects your people and your brand.
