Whistleblower reports of bullying, discrimination, and substance abuse have jumped in recent years, as high-profile cases of workplace harassment emboldened more staff to speak out, new data shows.
But experts warned that pressure on global firms to water down their diversity policies could make staff “nervous” to report concerns.
Safecall, which provides whistleblowing services like helplines to companies, said it received its largest ever number of reports last year.
More staff being aware of ways to make a report, and encouraged to speak up about wrongdoing, drove a 16% jump in 2024, compared with the previous year.
There has been a 9% rise in bullying and discrimination-related reports since 2020, the data showed.
Substance abuse reports have almost doubled in the last few years and remains a growing issue, especially within the construction, non-profit, and air travel sector.
The report was calculated using Safecall’s client base, which covers more than five million employees in about 1,000 companies around the world.
About one third of the concerns logged were done so through whistleblowing hotlines, while the majority were submitted through online portals.
The company said it expects to see more harassment-related reports in 2025, largely as a result of awareness around new legislation that requires employers to better protect their staff from workplace sexual harassment.
Last month, hedge fund manager Crispin Odey was fined £1.8 million and banned from the UK finance industry following allegations of sexual misconduct against female staff.
The financial regulator found his firm Odey Asset Management looked into claims of inappropriate behaviour, including touching staff, taking unaccompanied female employees to lunch or on shopping trips, and messaging them outside of work.
Elsewhere, Foxtons said it had “more to do” to build a respectful culture in the workplace, following reports alleging that staff at the London estate agency had experienced sexual harassment and racist comments, and flagged cases of heavy drinking and drunk-driving.
Joanna Lewis, Safecall’s managing director, said employees working in different sectors were “becoming more confident making reports, utilising their whistleblowing facilities, and highlighting wrongdoing in their workplace”.
But Ms Lewis said it was a “cause for concern” that many global companies, particularly those based in the US, were watering down their diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&I) policies.
Several large businesses in the US, including Google, Meta, Amazon and McDonald’s, have scaled back their diversity programmes following Donald Trump’s presidential election victory.
“When it comes to whistleblowing, the worst case outcome is that employees globally become nervous and stop reporting malpractice,” Ms Lewis said.
“They might believe reports won’t be taken seriously, or that they won’t even be seen as ‘malpractice’ if it’s a DE&I issue.
“They might believe they won’t remain confidential, and even face a threat of retaliation.”
However, she added that “we’ve seen time and time again that turbulent times prompt more whistleblowing” and that firms should be “prepared” to hear more staff reporting concerns.
