Whistleblowing: Employers must act during 'golden hour'

HR practitioners must review their whistleblowing procedures to ensure policies are fit for purpose and have a robust reporting and investigative process, according to whistleblowing hotline provider Safecall.
 
The company says that, while all cases differ in severity, after an incident happens at work, an employer should take steps such as preserving the scene by restricting access to enable the gathering of evidence, take photos, and establish who had access at the time of a reported incident.

Tim Smith, director at Safecall, said: “There is a "golden hour" after a reported incident or offence takes place. This is when material is abundant and readily available, along with the recall of any witnesses.
 
“There is a powerful case for companies and organisations to make a speedy response to a reported incident, because there is an optimum time to recover and collect data and potential evidence from the scene.

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“In addition, prompt action and a professional investigative approach builds credibility in your procedures, which strengthens trust among employees. Staff should know that complaints of wrongdoing will be dealt with in an efficient, reliable, and impartial manner.”

Dennis Shotton, a retired detective superintendent at Northumbria Police and consultant for Safecall, is responsible for providing blended classroom and online training to senior managers and practitioners within client organisations.

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 The "golden hour" is a metaphor and not to be taken literally, the team noted, saying: "Material can quickly disappear so it’s important to act when a company receives a serious allegation or complaint.”
  
He explained, if a company is investigating a health and safety incident, assault, or damage to property, there is usually a scene or multiple scenes where the event took place.

Here are the steps it recommends a company take following an incident:

• Visit and preserve the scene to restrict access and enable the gathering of forensic evidence, which may also become part of an external agency investigation depending on the severity of the offence
• Draw a sketch plan of the scene
• Take photographs or video the scene
• Ensure the seizure and securing of any relevant documents, computer and telecoms data
• Establish who had access at the time
• Secure any incident reports, duty rosters or CCTV
• To ensure and maintain the integrity of the investigation actions the following should be considered:
• Restricting staff members access to IT systems
• Restricting staff members access to buildings / offices
• Relocating staff members
• Suspending staff members

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Shotton Shotton added that knowing that a report will be investigated thoroughly and with expertise could encourage reports being made and install confidence in the whistleblowing policy.

“Whether the investigation is internal or external, it is vital that action is taken following a reported incident. You need to act quickly; if you don’t, you’re at risk of looking unprofessional and you potentially lose important material. You only get one chance to do this right,” he added.