The majority of UK employees (91%) are concerned about retaliation against whistle-blowers at work, according to research from European HR software firm Personio.

The research also found that despite half (51%) of employers feeling extremely confident in their handling of workplace misconduct, only 27% of employees share that same confidence.

In the UK, three quarters (75%) of employers surveyed say they have a whistleblowing policy in place. However 27% of employees admit to having no idea on whether their organisation has an existing whistleblowing policy.

Meanwhile, 45% of employees have to report misconduct in-person to their HR manager while 34% report misconduct anonymously via electronic means. However, in the future 34% of employees surveyed would like to continue to report misconduct in person, while 45% of employees surveyed would like to report whistleblowing anonymously via electronic means.

Maria Angelidou-Smith, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Personio, said, “As awareness and urgency for official whistleblowing guidelines move at pace in the UK, organisations now have an opportunity to get ahead. Providing effective whistleblowing policies as part of the overall employee experience will help to foster and build a more transparent, safe and positive company culture.”