Topic Guide: Whistleblowing

Whistleblowing processes and procedures: An Australia and New Zealand snapshot (Preliminary results: Whistling while they work 2, survey of organisational processes and procedures 2016). Brown, Dozo, Roberts. 2016. http://www.whistlingwhiletheyw...  

Following on from the 2011 study (WWTW 2011), this Australia and New Zealand snapshot presents the preliminary findings of Whistling while they work 2: Improving managerial responses to whistleblowing in public and private sector organisations, a research project investigating and evaluating whistleblowing procedures in the public sector, business and non-profit organisations. This report assesses whistleblowing procedures of 702 survey respondents and the statistics provided may be a useful point of reference to organisations looking for information on how other organisations are implementing whistleblowing hotlines.    

The authors find that, while many of the responding organisations have made strong efforts towards whistleblower protection in recent years, comparative cross-sectoral assessments are complicated by a distinct lack of specific guidance or a clear identification of successful practices. Through continued research, the WWTW 2 project aims to identify which organisational processes and management systems contribute to the best outcomes for both employees and organisations.    

Strength of organisational whistleblowing processes – analysis from Australia. Brown, Lawrence. 2017. http://www.whistlingwhiletheyw...  

This resource presents an additional undertaking of research collected under the Whistling while they work 2 project (discussed above). The analysis uses results from five questions to create a scale measure (expressed as a score out of 10) of strength of processes reported for 699 organisations, across groups in public sector jurisdictions, private industry and not-for-profit sectors. Though restricted to Australia and New Zealand, the statistics and analysis are a useful point of reference for organisations generally.  

Protection of whistleblowers: Study on whistleblower protection frameworks, compendium of best practices and guiding principles for legislation. G20 Anti-Corruption Action Plan. 2011. https://www.oecd.org/g20/topic...  

This study is a result of an initiative by G20 experts to study and summarise existing whistleblower protection legislation and enforcement mechanisms, and includes guiding principles and best practice recommendations to support the implementation of the G20 commitment to strengthen the protection of whistleblowers. The guide focuses primarily on legislation, but chapter 4, covering the private sector, explores “voluntary measures” implemented by companies and includes a summary of whistleblowing mechanisms in B20 companies (companies from G20 countries that have volunteered to work on anti-corruption issues within the G20 context) ethics and compliance programmes.