What should you report?
2:33 · · English · captions included
For whistleblowers. Fictional examples from public procurement, safety, the environment, and personal data show how to describe what you know without exaggeration, and when a personal complaint needs another route.
Chapters and transcript
You can report wrongdoing that you learned about at work, if you have reasonable grounds to believe it is true. You do not need to prove everything. Describe the facts. Do not present a suspicion as a fact.
Two bids contain the same unusual errors. One supplier received a competitor’s price before the deadline. Report the tender, the dates, and what you saw. Explain why you suspect coordination. Do not say that bribery happened if you cannot prove it.
A failed safety test is recorded as passed. Or waste goes into a river. Give the product or the site, the dates, what you saw, and any continuing risk. If people are in danger now, call the emergency services. Do not wait for a reply.
Customer records are sent to a personal account without a business reason. Describe what happened and where the evidence is. Do not upload the whole database as proof. Share only the minimum information.
The EU Directive covers specific areas of EU law. National law often covers more. Fraud, harassment, or discrimination can also be protected, or be covered by your organisation’s policy. The category that you select does not decide if legal protection applies.
A dispute about your own pay, leave, or work relationship usually belongs to HR. But a problem that affects you can still be wrongdoing. If it involves wider misconduct, discrimination, or retaliation, report the facts and ask for advice about the right route.
On the twenty-first of October, I saw invoices one hundred and four and one hundred and five for the same delivery. Both appeared approved. I do not know whether both were paid. This report says what you saw, why it is a concern, and what you do not know.
Never invent or exaggerate. Say when information is second-hand, and why you trust it. Do not hack accounts. Do not access information that you are not allowed to access. An honest mistake is not the same as false information given on purpose.
Read the procedure of your organisation. You can also report directly to a competent authority. Public disclosure has separate conditions. If you report here, save your access details, and return to answer questions.