UK managers most discouraged from whistleblowing, international survey reveals

10 November 2017

A survey of 2,500 business managers across the US, Asia and Europe has found that those situated in the UK are the least likely to have been involved in whistleblowing.

The research, commissioned by law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and conducted by Censuswide in September 2017, found that only 35% of UK managers had engaged in the practice, compared with 56% in France (where the highest involvement was found).

Managers in the Arts and Culture sector were also much less likely to blow the whistle than in other industries, with only 19% reporting involvement in whistleblowing compared with 63% in front runner IT and Telecoms.

Over half (58%) of managers in the UK also said they and their workers would be deterred from speaking up because of concerns about the way this would damage their reputation or careers, making the nation the second worst performer on this particular factor (55% worldwide and 62% in Hong Kong).

Most managers worldwide were also afraid their reports would not remain anonymous, with 55% citing this as a concern and 59% confirming that their organisation would find it important to know the identity of a whistleblower.

However, there was also some good news, as it seems the practice of whistleblowing is becoming more widespread overall. As many as 47% of business managers across the globe reported witnessing or engaging in whistleblowing compared with just 34% in 2014; and only 13% said their employers discourage whistleblowing, compared with 40% in 2014.