Ongoing International Study Investigating Whistleblowing in the Workplace, delves into the experiences of free speech and whistleblowing within workplaces in Denmark, Norway, Ireland and England.
13 Febraury 2024
The report is being led by the Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research in Oslo, Norway and Professor David Lewis, head of the Middlesex University Whistleblowing Research Unit in England, and is the principal investigator for England.
More than 9,000 workers have already been surveyed in total across various sectors and industries in the Scandinavian countries, England and Ireland. In the project’s next stage, researchers will be interviewing senior managers from the health and financial services sectors to gain knowledge about the differences in how employers handle freedom of speech and whistleblowing cases in the countries. This will increase understanding about whether employers seek to encourage or prevent workers raising concerns, and how they balance the right for employees to raise their voice with the right to manage. Initial findings suggest greater workers’ union density in Denmark and Norway compared to England and Ireland could have a significant influence on how whistleblowing and freedom of speech cases have been dealt with.
The Whistleblowing Research Unit, led by Prof Lewis, has carried out vital research and held annual events celebrating whistleblowers' achievements. Since 2009, Prof Lewis has also been the organiser of the International Whistleblowing Research Network which boasts more than 240 members worldwide. - excerpt from Middlesex University's Article "MDX-backed international study investigating whistleblowing in the workplace"