How to be a whistle-blower?

There are legal protections for whistle blowers but it's still a tough gig.

It takes a lot of guts to be able to stand up at your place of work and make a call that something's not quite right. For most people, it's a seriously career-limiting move. But not for Sylvain Mansotte​, CEO of Fraudsec, an app that lets staff report internal fraud anonymously.

Sylvain's is an example of how to make lemonade when faced with a great big case of lemons. In 2013 he uncovered a scam at Leighton's, mere weeks after joining its procurement team. Damian O'Carrigan​, who was formerly a senior finance manager, had been illegally making payments totalling  $20.7 million across a decade, spending the money on racehorses, escorts and properties.

Sylvain's experience led him to found Fraudsec. So I spoke to him about what you should do if you find yourself in a similar situation to the one he was in at Leightons. His advice is to gather all the evidence and check it twice to ensure you know exactly what you're talking about. 

"Look for an independent and anonymous whistle-blower reporting channel in your organization," is his advice.

If there is no anonymous way of reporting the suspected wrongdoing, then assess the potential consequences to you before blowing the whistle.

"Whistle-blowers can end up the target of the organizations management or their colleagues," Sylvain says. "You could end up being the subject of vilification, defamation, isolation or being dismissed. In that case, don't take a chance as it might not be worth it, unless you are prepared for the worst."

If whistle-blowing is encouraged in the business, and you've seen this in action, and you feel comfortable in doing so, then talk to a manager.

It's also important to understand your legal rights before blowing the whistle. But the whistle-blower must meet five criteria and do certain things when making a disclosure. The whistle-blower:

1. Must be a current officer, employee or contractor (or the employee of a contractor) of the company about which the disclosure is made.
2. Must mention to whom the disclosure is made.
3. Provide his/her name.
4. Have reasonable grounds to suspect the breach.
5. Must make the disclosure in good faith.

by: 

Alexandra Cain