"I heard it through the grapevine…" How do you feel when you learn that someone you trusted has been speaking about you behind your back? This post on X caught my attention because it captures a common perception inside organisations: that decisions about people often happen quietly, in rooms they will never be invited into. […]

No one wants to be the skunk at a tea party. Social pressure shapes our epistemological commitments — often in ways so subtle we barely notice. Below is the story of a father who created a coded “off ramp” for his son. It's a powerful illustration of psychological safety in action. The father understood something […]

Many organisational leaders admit they are reluctant to intentionally build a whistleblowing culture. And often, the reasons are legitimate: • They are genuinely unsure how to protect a whistleblower after disclosure • Legal budgets don’t stretch to lengthy investigations or years of potential litigation • There are real concerns about reputational damage if the process […]

The growing “industrialised” nature of whistleblowing—complete with mandated processes, third-party hotlines, and compliance reporting—was meant to protect people. I believe this attempt at 'normalisation' has become corrosive, for the following reasons: - Severe personal harm: Even with legal protections, many whistleblowers suffer devastating professional, financial, and psychological consequences. - Weaponisation and fear: Formal systems can […]

The recent murder of DJ Warras in South Africa is a devastating reminder that legislative protection does not always translate into lived safety. He reportedly had five protection orders in place. They did not stop retaliation. This tragedy forces an uncomfortable parallel with whistleblowing policies. Across sectors, whistleblowers are encouraged to speak up under the […]

Let’s be honest: by the time someone is forced into the role of whistleblower, the system has already failed. We romanticise whistleblowers as if they’re symbols of organisational courage. They’re not. They’re symbols of organisational breakdown. And the costs they carry — to their livelihoods, reputations, and mental health — are costs that should never […]

We’ve built laws to protect whistleblowers — but too often, those laws don’t work in real life. People still lose their jobs, their peace of mind, their sense of belonging, and even their lives. The system says “you’re protected,” yet society still whispers, “you should’ve stayed quiet.” With thanks to insights from Professor Matthew Jackson […]

You've acquired a whistleblowing hotline. You've run whistleblowing training sessions. The compliance box is ticked. You've communicated that your organisation will protect whistleblowers. A sentence about encouraging a 'speakup' culture has been added to company mission statement. So, how's it going? Do you still believe that your business would be better off by relying on […]

Let's stop acting as if the only valid form of ‘speaking-listening up’ is the formal whistleblowing game. As a whistleblower I think I'm permitted to say that. When we invert the narrative that whistleblowing is the only way to speak up, we unlock a more practical, humane, and effective approach: shifting from reactive heroics, often […]

In a world full of megaphones, we’re drowning in noise. Our feeds, our workplaces, our communities—everywhere we turn there’s a system carefully designed to capture attention, not to foster clarity. And yet, in this environment, organisations still expect Gen Z (and everyone else) to drop their megaphones and quietly blow the whistle through a hotline. […]

The Whistleblowing Hotline Trap - we were not shaped by evolution to press buttons and wait on hold. We did not survive ice ages and wars to be redirected to a menu of options.Yet here we are—in a civilisation where the primary mode of dispute resolution is a hotline, not a face, not a voice […]

The sweet spot of ethical communication lies where Courageous Conversations intersect with whistleblowing — where speaking up with integrity challenges systems, not just individuals. Because I've been a whistleblower, I’ve developed human-centric ways of communicating about unethical behaviour — approaches that allow us to make progress on the issues that matter and strengthen our relationships […]

See update as at 15th January 2023 on Point 9 (who funds WhistleblowersUK?) and Point 8 (Twitter sock accounts) Without Prejudice I am writing this as a long term, respected and active participant in the international whistleblowing space and especially as a legitimate whistleblower.  In the spirit of transparency, openness, and courage, I have a […]

A new report, Are Whistleblowing Laws Working? A Global Study of Whistleblower Protection Litigation, tracks the records of whistleblower laws in 38 countries and provides an unprecedented effort to understand the successes and shortcomings of whistleblower protection legislation worldwide, following a proliferation of laws in recent decades. Co-published by the International Bar Association (IBA) Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) […]

Revenge is sweet and not fattening. –Alfred Hitchcock Whistleblowing legislation has focused and promoted itself around protecting a whistleblower from retaliation.  However, the word protect is a misnomer. The etymology of the word Protect arises from Latin, to ‘cover something upfront’.  Think about the word prophylactic and you'll get it! The meaning and intention of covering something […]

“One thing a person cannot do, no matter how rigorous his analysis or heroic his imagination is to draw up a list of things that would never occur to him.” Thomas Schelling Economist and Nobel laureate  Whenever and wherever I speak in the world, sharing my story and the teaching moments of being the whistleblower […]

We’ve all encountered at least one. An individual in a position of power, or not, that ‘knows it all’.  They lead over people with the “tacit assumption” that life is fundamentally and always a competition.  That, as leaders, they are being paid for fixing problems rather than for fostering breakthrough thinking. Between their deep attachment […]

“Get down, get down. Arms behind your back. Don’t move.”  I turned around to see two policemen, guns held out and pointed at a group of people sitting on the pavement. I perceived the targeted group to be middle aged hippies from the Woodstock era, apparently stoned and certainly no threat to anyone else.  Alarmed, […]

Helpful laws make things easier. Unhelpful laws do exactly the opposite, making everyone’s lives harder.  The problem is that unhelpful laws often end up in a kind of legal Bermuda Triangle with no one empowered or resourced to change them. A university student cautiously approached me following my lecture on Speaking Up and Whistleblowing. She […]

Life is filled with diverging paths, and which path one takes in life often defines one’s purpose. Many times, the paths are clearly illuminated so that it is obvious which is the right one and which is the wrong one. Should I help an old man who slipped on the pavement or just look the […]