Whistleblowing Awareness
Strengthen your organisation's compliance with our Whistleblowing Awareness Training, tailored to the specific needs of Northern Irish businesses.
Whistleblowing Awareness eLearning Course
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Overview
Staff Must Be Protected During & After They Blow the Whistle
Legal Island’s Whistleblowing Awareness training course has been created in partnership with The Debrief Group. It is specifically tailored to Northern Irish law and is designed to complement your organisation's existing workplace whistleblowing policies.
Our eLearning course for Northern Irish businesses aims to raise your employees’ awareness of whistleblowing and protect staff from any abuse or mistreatment during or after they blow the whistle.
What's Included
What's Included: Whistleblowing Awareness
This course was designed specifically for organisations based in Northern Ireland by a team of whistleblowing experts. It includes essential information for employees and employers on best practices, the latest whistleblowing legislation in Northern Ireland, and rights regarding whistleblower protection and making protected disclosures.
Topics covered within the course include:
- What a whistleblower is
- The law relating to whistleblowing
- The difference between a grievance and a qualified disclosure
- How to make a qualified disclosure
Should you have a particular need to brand or tailor any of our courses to your specific requirements, that is no problem at all. We offer a full bespoke service in-house. If you have any questions or queries, please feel free to contact our eLearning Sales Manager, Debbie Wilson - debbie@legal-island.com
Background
Understanding Whistleblowing
Defining Whistleblowing
According to Public Concern at Work, whistleblowing is the term used to describe:
"A worker raising a concern about wrongdoing, risk, or malpractice with someone in authority either internally and/or externally".
Historically and culturally, society actively discouraged employees from speaking up in public about any type of wrongdoing within the workplace. To do so often resulted in some form of retaliation such as sacking, demotion, or transfer to a different department or location.
The Northern Ireland government recognised the need for change and put in place whistleblowing legislation to protect the rights of whistleblowers so employees and employers could speak up against wrongdoing in the workplace.
Identifying Improper Conduct
It is important that your employees are aware of what is considered inappropriate conduct in the workplace. Legal Island’s Whistleblowing Awareness training will provide in-depth training on this.
Examples of improper workplace conduct include:
- Harassment, bullying, and discrimination
- Unethical conduct or gossiping and rumour spreading
- Violation of company policies
- Health and safety violations
- Violence and threats
- Dishonesty and confidentiality breaches
- Corruption
- Inappropriate communication
What Does Not Constitute Improper Conduct?
It is important to be aware of what is considered inappropriate workplace conduct. However, it is equally important to know what cannot be considered improper conduct. Examples include:
- Personality differences and minor disputes
- Constructive criticism
- Office politics, such as networking and favouritism
- Non-disruptive personal habits
- Personal preferences regarding things such as clothing choice and work-life balance
- Appropriate and respectful expression of personal beliefs
- Cultural differences
Importance of Training
Why is Workplace Health & Safety training important for employees in Northern Ireland?
It is important that your employees understand the importance of whistleblowing awareness in the workplace. They should be aware of the legislation that exists to protect both employees and employers when they speak up against wrongdoing or misconduct in the workplace.
Reporting wrongdoing in the workplace is right. Legislation in Northern Ireland has been enacted to protect those who speak up in respect of certain issues, such as harassment, corruption, and policy violations. The Public Interest Disclosure (NI) Order 1998 states a disclosure of wrongdoing must be made by a worker.
The Key Benefits of Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing is about creating a culture of transparency. Employees making qualified disclosures ultimately protect an organisation, their customers, employees, and beneficiaries by identifying harm.
Whistleblowing benefits include:
- The saving of lives
- Promotion of best practices and professional development
- Preventing illegal activities and unethical business practices
- Preventing damage to the environment
The business benefits can also include:
- Exposure to risk being reduced
- Raised awareness of illegal practices by employees and employers
- Improved company integrity and reputation
- Enhanced corporate social responsibility
- Opportunity to address problems at an early stage before loss of profits, customers, or reputation
Who needs whistleblowing training in Northern Ireland?
It is mandatory and highly recommended that every employer ensures all staff are made aware of their rights regarding whistleblowing.
Whistleblowing experts advise that whistleblowing awareness training should be completed on day one of employment and then refreshed regularly to ensure all staff are aware of their rights regarding whistleblowing.
Course Duration
How long does Whistleblowing Awareness Training take?
The course will take no longer than 45 minutes to complete including an assessment. Each member of staff will receive their own personalised certificate upon successful completion.
Key Statistics
Why learn with Legal Island?
We take huge pride in the training we deliver across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Our key statistics show:
97%
of users said they found the courses beneficial for their organisation
96%
of users said they found the courses convenient and easy to use
96%
of users said their knowledge of the compliance topic area improved
96%
of users said they would recommend our eLearning courses to other organisations
750,000 +
hours of training and course content delivered
200,000 +
employees across the island of Ireland have now benefitted from our services
FAQs
Got a question about our Whistleblowing Awareness Training?
Chances are at this stage you have a couple questions. If you can’t find your answer below, we encourage you to ask questions directly and you can call us anytime.
How much does this course cost?
The standard purchase rate of this course is £30+VAT per staff member. However, this can vary depending on the number of employees within your organisation.
What is the delivery method for this training?
Legal Island’s Whistleblowing Awareness Training for Northern Irish businesses is delivered online, and employees can self-enrol and complete it at their own pace.
How frequently should whistleblowing training be updated?
Experts advise that whistleblower training should be completed on day one of employment and refreshed regularly to ensure all staff are up-to-date with the latest Northern Ireland legislation regarding whistleblowing.
What are the risks of not having whistleblowing policies in place?
Failure to have whistleblowing policies in place can have a number of consequences. These include but are not limited to legal repercussions, such as potential fines and increased liability. Other consequences may include high employee turnover due to decreased workplace morale and an environment of mistrust, reputational damage, and operational risks.
Request a demo
Free demo, of this eLearning course
To get a FREE demo of this eLearning course on behalf of your organisation or to discuss your training needs further, simply complete the form below and a member of our eLearning team will be in touch:
