The commonly used term for a worker reporting suspected wrongdoing at work is whistleblowing, yet the official term for whistleblowing is ‘making a disclosure in the public interest.’ Despite how difficult it can be to speak up on discovering dangerous or illegal activity going on in the workplace, you yourself could be seen as complicit if you have knowledge of such activities but you do not bring them to the attention of your employer. It is always key to raise any concerns you may have about the behaviour of your colleagues or management to a person of authority, and you should never be penalised for doing so. If you believe that you have been, whether you have been dismissed or treated differently as a result of you bringing these activities to light, you may have a case for initiating legal action against your employer.

Your company may have a whistleblowing procedure, and if you can you should let the employer know first. However if you are unable to tell your employer you can contact a ‘prescribed person or body.’ A worker can report any issues that he or she feels are causing damage to the environment, health and safety issues that put anyone in danger, criminal offences, the company not obeying the law in any way, or any other covering up of wrongdoing. If you have been penalised for bringing to light a situation where any one of these criteria are met, you will be protected by law if for any reason you are dismissed as a result of taking this action. Those protected by this law include employees, agency workers, people that are in training with an employer but not employed, and self-employed workers whether they are supervised or working off-site.

To discuss your personal circumstances, you can contact our team of legal employment experts by calling 0800 1123 256, texting ‘contact’ to 80011*, or completing the form to the right and we will get in touch with you.