While some businesses fear whistleblowers, a proper whistleblower strategy has far too many benefits to not consider it. It’s not about snitching. It’s about improving the business for employees and clients.

When you implement a strategy that works well, you’ll start to see improvements over time. This also positively affects your profits, which is a benefit all on its own.

1. Happier, More Productive Employees

Employees who know they’re supported in an ethical workplace are far happier than those who constantly have to deal with unethical situations and co-workers. It’s been proven that happier employees are also around 12% more productive. This also means your employees are providing better customer service, leading to happier, more satisfied customers.

Part of your whistleblower strategy has to include protecting whistleblowers from retaliation. Fully investigate, take action and protect whistleblowers and you’ll see a boost in happiness and productivity.

2. Protect Clients

Unethical actions often have a direct affect on clients and customers. For instance, using sub-par construction materials could easily result in someone getting hurt or killed. In hospitals, someone mistreating patients could cause patients to suffer permanent harm or death.

Encouraging an open communication culture means ethical employees speak up. Otherwise, innocent clients could get hurt or worse. Plus, this could lead to costly lawsuits and even the end of your business.

3. Save Your Business Money

While ethical improvements help increase profits, they also save you from losses in several ways. First, fewer lawsuits means less legal fees and better insurance premiums. Second, happier employees boost client satisfaction which leads to more loyal clients and referrals.

Finally, you reduce fraud and theft within your business. Both can cost you tens or hundreds of thousands yearly. Ethical employees who uncover these issues feel confident reporting them with the right whistleblower strategy.

4. Attract Better Employees

Ethical workplaces get a reputation for being great places to work. Plus, when there’s not a culture of distrust, fear and anger, people work together better as a team. This helps your business attract better employees. In competitive niches, this is critical for attracting skilled employees that will help your business grow faster.

You can even advertise your business’s ethical culture and whistleblower strategy to show that you’re serious about keeping employees happy and safe.

5. More Time

It might sound like a strange benefit at first, but employees who are dealing with harassment, feel forced to do unethical things or feel unsafe tend to be absent more often. Plus, they’re not nearly as productive. Also, the longer issues are allowed to continue, it encourages more unethical employees to do whatever they want without consequence.

All the time spent on filling in for employees who are absent or are dealing with physical and mental health issues as a result costs your business time and money. Unethical employees are also so busy doing what they’re not supposed to and cutting corners that you’re losing even more time, especially when you have to go back and fix problems.

A proper whistleblower strategy addresses issues quickly and discourages future issues. This provides more time to focus on work, keeps employees from calling in sick as often and makes the workplace safer and healthier for everyone.