Deloitte Decries Declining Whistleblowing Culture

A partner in risk advisory, Deloitte Nigeria, Ibukun Beecroft, has decried the declining culture of whistleblowing, even as she has tasked corporation’s upper levels of senior executives and managers, known as the C-suite, to offer protection for whistleblowers, including anonymity and non-retaliation guarantees.

Beecroft, who made the call, in an interview with LEADERSHIP said, encouraging whistleblowing can directly impact a company’s profitability as it gives voice to the voiceless.

“Whistleblowing acts as a powerful tool in fostering openness and honesty. It plays a pivotal role in uncovering and preventing fraudulent activities, corruption, and unethical behaviour, thereby ensuring a more ethical and responsible environment. Whistleblowing enhances internal audit and control systems by allowing organisations to detect and resolve weaknesses and vulnerabilities,” she revealed.

Beecroft, however, lamented the fact that the culture of silence, shaming, and retaliation has discouraged people (especially employees) from speaking up when they notice unethical and illegal practices in their organisations, adding that, “this toxic culture can influence whistleblowers making them hesitant to report concerns due to fear of retaliation for example, a demotion, termination or even harassment.

“Absence of clear policies or Inadequate or non-existent whistleblowing policies and procedures, Ineffective reporting channels where there are no secure, confidential, and accessible reporting mechanisms, poor investigation, and follow-up

“Sometimes, Reports often go uninvestigated or unresolved. Cultural barriers also as it concerns hierarchical structures and cultural norms may discourage speaking up. There is also the concern of Limited protection and inadequate legal protection for whistleblowers. For organisations, there is the fear of reputational damage and concerns about negative publicity.”

To address these gaps, Beecroft advised the C-suite to establish clear, comprehensive whistleblowing policies and procedures, implement secure, confidential, and accessible reporting channels (e.g., hotlines, online platforms) ensure prompt, thorough investigations and follow-up actions, foster an open culture, encouraging employees to speak up without fear, provide training and awareness programmes for employees and management, offer protection for whistleblowers, including anonymity and non-retaliation guarantees, lead by example, demonstrating commitment to transparency and accountability.

Speaking on the global theme for this year’s International Day of Whistleblowers: ‘Celebrating Empowering Voices: Celebrating Courageous Whistleblowers’ Beecroft said, an organisation where employees are trusted and have their opinions valued, such employees experience greater job satisfaction.

“This positive outcome can be attributed to the establishment of a strong speak-up culture. So, employers should change the narrative and encourage the employees to take charge of situations, confident that their voices will be heard and their opinions respected,” she added.