At the same time, whistleblowing activity is increasing. Reports are becoming longer and more detailed, with many individuals now using generative AI to prepare submissions. This is giving organisations clearer insights, but it’s also placing greater demand on compliance teams.
In this insight, Will Morris highlights why these changes demand sharper prioritisation and stronger investigative processes, and how Grant Thornton can help strengthen frameworks, manage complex cases and translate data into actionable insight.
The whistle-blowing landscape is changing fast. New legislation - such as the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, and the Employment Rights Act - are both having an impact on organisations’ processes, and response to whistleblowers.
Clients are seeing an increase in the number of reports being received by their whistleblowing channels. And this is a trend we’re seeing across financial services, and other sectors. Many whistleblowers are now also using generative AI tools to help prepare their submissions. This often means that the information is clearer, higher quality, and helpful for understanding the issues raised. However, it is putting extra pressure on compliance teams, who need to work through longer reports,with greater numbers of concerns.
So, what is the real value of whistleblowing? Some organisations treat it solely as a compliance issue. But in our experience, especially for organisations with complex risks, whistleblowing can act as a window into your organisation. It provides an opportunity to see issues which are normally hidden and don’t show up in other reporting available to management. An effective whistleblowing process allows you to spot potential problems and tackle them before they develop into something bigger.
Whistleblowing matters are rarely simple, but sometimes we see investigation teams' pigeon-holing issues early on. We encourage clients to really listen to whistleblowers, and try to see the whole picture. Every case is different and it's important to not assume that new issues are the same as the last ones. This also means thinking about the range of skillsets required. For example, does this matter require input from digital investigators, forensic accountants or employment lawyers.
We also recommend making sense of whistleblowing data available. This can help uncover powerful insights - recurring themes coming up team culture in your organisation, and where targeted intervention might be needed to stay on track.
A key challenge our clients face is sorting through the reports they receive. Ensuring that critical issues are prioritised and escalated to those who can make decisions, and take action quickly. One of our clients came to us with over 100 cases in progress, of which more than 50 were rated a top priority. After reviewing the files and the process to categorise them we identified that there were 5 which would have a material impact on the business and needed urgent attention. This helped the business focus on the issues that mattered most, and alocate its resources where they would have the biggest impact.
The types of issues that will cause real risk will be different for each organisation, and will change over time as new threats emerge. A clear process is essential so that whistleblowing teams will understand what to look out for and will be ready to react when an urgent response is required.
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