Has anyone ever been a whistle blower? How? why? when? where? what happened?

[metalmaude]

I have in schools twice.

Once for records being faked, including coursework grades, meeting minutes, registers, standardisation, etc

I was told if I kept complaining I would be disciplined, so I resigned.

On the second occasion for racism, and the other person lost their job, and I was treated fairly, but it was still a horrible experience

Not whistleblowing but I once overheard the HR team gossiping about a colleague disparagingly, in public. I told the person. There was a big fuss and I was persona non grata.

'Snitches get stitches' I'd say. People perceive someone who reports something as a 'grass'. It must be something deeply cultural that goes way back in our psyche. It's absolutely ridiculous of course and wrongdoing needs to be reported, but people are people.

Yes a few times. Generally went no where. At work it was corporate role so no safeguarding, felt like I had covered my arse. Other times as a children's service user so it's more complaints about not following child protection or law. It gets twisted and ignored quite systematically in a way that suggests my LA has policy to break laws. Its wrong and horrible but I'm inclined to ignore it going forward. Even some really shocking things didn't raise alarm.

Friend made industry news whistle blowing at our employers. It's result was like farting into the wind. Think senior management taking female grads to strip clubs as team building.

Twice. First time I was made redundant. Second time an investigation was conducted but they refused to allow us to know the outcome. I left.

Yep.
Very recently I reported a nursing colleague of mine to my employer for poor care/neglect of patient, fraud relating to sickness pay and not following NMC code of conduct. She was sacked and work is a much better place without her!

I once did on a colleague who was being unprofessional with service users. She was called to a meeting and the manager (who was useless) left mine and another colleague's accounts on the desk in front of her and left the room. Obviously she read the report and kicked off (mostly at my colleague as he was more junior. ) nothing happened to her (as insome training may have been beneficial) was a complete waste of time and caused a lot of issue in the team

This was in local authority

No, but I'm thinking about it at the moment and don't know what to do. This thread has made me see that so many claims are not taken seriously that it worries me. This person has had complaints made against them before, two people have in fact, and nothing has happened to either of them because they are senior members of staff. I don't know if my concerns will be ignored once again, which I suspect would happen, or could mine be the one to tip the balance. I don't know what to do.

In a small way, yes.
I was told ‘nobody else has complained’ and ‘I tell you what, you train her!’
I left.

yes
and they lost their job

I'm considering doing something, not sure if it would be 'real' whistleblowing, about an issue that has arisen in my educational setting where religious beliefs are preventing the delivery of the National Curriculum (think creationism etc). So far, deaf ears at work, so not sure where to go next. Watching with interest.

Yes and it didn't end well in the slightest - gaslighted, ended up having 4 months off work sick with stress whilst they investigated 'my' failings, had to apologies to the people in question and ended up being moved 100 miles away. I cannot tell the pain of making a complaint and having literally no one listen to you whilst it gets turned 360 against you to protect their arses.

I did have some minor satisfaction over 14 years later when I bumped into a former colleague who informed me that the 3 women in question had been sacked after finally someone more professional had taken lead and listened to others concerns too. I hope these 3 women rot in hell - honestly.

Yes, but the medical notes concerned mysteriously went missing and had to be rewritten "from memory" - which were total fiction. The registrar concerned suddenly had to go back to India, and never returned, and the consultant said he'd have to refer to the notes.

Nothing happened, nobody was disciplined and I was transferred.

To be honest, I couldn't work there anymore so I was pleased to go. I went to work overseas for a few years and when I came back everybody concerned had either left the NHS or retired.

Nowadays you'd take a pic of the evidence but I only had a basic phone at the time.

Would I do it again ?. I really don't know if I would. It would have to be something incredibly serious to go through that again and jeopardize my career.

Yes in the workplace . All sorts of dodgy stuff , stealing company time , falsifying paperwork, stealing , but management were too scared of head office finding out so it was just swept under the carpet and I was seen as public enemy number one . If I could go back in time I would have used a burner phone and txt head office . Just go straight to the top.

Yes multiple times and it rarely ends well for nurses. Our code of conduct is used against us. In the current climate where wards are very understaffed its a code that's impossible to comply with 100% of the time. If they want to get rid of you it's easy enough.

😔

In my industry, we have a whistleblowers 'hotline' through which we can report any concerns and our anonymity is apparently protected. I say 'apparently' as I've never actually had to use it, but I'd have presumed there was some sort of confidentiality which prevented any potential repercussions? Or perhaps I'm just naive to the reality?

I chose to stand up against a younger colleague who had a massive bad attitude.

I got a temp job while my flat sold in the pandemic. I'd had years of experience working with vulnerable people in a residential setting and this time they had MH diagnoses.

The staff member would get requests from service users for things and this one guy, she was AWFUL to. Slinging his things to him, being rude, being obviously irritated etc. We were being PAID to take care of these guys and she spoke to him like that.

Once I said, I cannot BEAR the way you speak to him.

Many other times I was rushing and heard her, and stood back and wrinkled my face.

One day I'd had enough and spoke to the manager who asked me to email it so she could finally get it to HR. So I did it. No one else would write it formally.

The next day the colleague was so angry with me and everyone was tip toeing about, and me being new and temp, I was ostracised, and I slunk home feeling like a grass.

It was actually the thought of Mumsnet that helped me feel better - thinking, if I wrote a thread about what I'd seen, the women would ALL be behind me in standing up for the guys. No it is not nice, but I did it. I had to. You cannot balance what you stand for if you do not then stand up for it in times of need.

I am not sure she changed long term, but I stood up to her.

When I left, she organised my flowers and chocolates - a £1 box of Matchmakers and a bunch of yellow daisies. Making her point. But the guys brought them in like they were made of gold. I loved those service users.

I've worked with whistle-blowers in public sector health and education roles.

Insofar as I have a religion, it's that God loves a whistle-blower. Evil grows in the absence of sunlight.

1st time was concerns over a person's conduct when dealing with victims of crime. Nothing done but got later sacked for something else.
2nd time bullying...nothing done
3rd time misogyny..nothing done.

In the police.

Yes, Further Education college. They were, I'm sure, both falsifying registers to get EU funding and basically expecting tutors to get students to redo work over and over to get pass grades.
There was a govt enquiry into it. The entire enterprise was bent and run by an absolute megalomaniac.