Essential rules for the brave whistleblowers in South Africa

While we may be exposed to suspicious behaviour at work, it's not always easy to report it.

Tattletales have a bad reputation. From American rappers who denounce snitches, to gangster movies that portray snitching as being the worst form of betrayal, to your Grade 5 classmates that ostracise you for piemping all of them for talking while the teacher was away. Yes, tattletales have bad reps.

But we’re all grown up now and not American gangsters and rappers. We have jobs, responsibilities, and can fully discern between right and wrong, suspicious and transparent, and legal and illegal. But what if you’re faced with a dilemma at work?

Read: How important is company culture?

If you’re aware of illegal or underhanded activities at work, complaining could mean:

1. You could be ostracised by your colleagues.

2. A work buddy could get into trouble and potentially lose his job.

3. Your boss will treat you unfavourably.

The law protects you

Parliament has enacted the Protected Disclosures Act, No 26 of 2000, commonly referred to as the PDA. It protects you from subjected to “occupational detriment.” In layman’s terms, this simply means that after reporting misconduct, you are protected from being:

• dismissed,

• subject to disciplinary action,

• suspended,

• demoted,

• harassed,

• intimidated,

• or transferred against your will.

Read: Team not playing nice? How to deal with the conflict

Be sure that when you are reporting your case, you do so by following the prescribed procedure as noted in company regulations. If your company has no prescribed procedure in place, it’s best to disclose your information directly to the employer, as opposed to doing what you think is best.

Whistle-blowing is healthy for all organisations to protect the checks and balances of the smooth running of the organisation. However, it must be balanced so that business interests aren’t ruined by rumours. Therefore, whistle-blowers will not be protected by the PDA if their complaint is made on unfounded allegations or malicious rumours.

If you're uncomfortable with the goings-on at your workplace, you should apply for vacancies at these top companies. Or better yet, let the vacancies come to you by signing up to receive job alerts.