50% more people asked for advice from whistleblowers' support center

Last year, 369 people contacted the House for Whistleblowers because of suspected misconduct at work. That is over 50 percent more than the year before (243), the agency said in its annual report on Monday.

The agency attributes the increase partly to the Whistleblowers Protection Act (Wbk) that took effect last year. Media attention to misconduct, such as the conflict of interest at the IJsselland Environment Agency, also led to more people contacting the House for Whistleblowers. It was also striking that more (political) officeholders, managers, confidential counselors, and self-employed people reported misconduct last year than in previous years.

People approached the House for Whistleblowers about suspicions of abuses regarding the handling of trade secrets and personal data, fraud, or violations of security regulations. As in 2022, many reports were also received about social (in)security and inappropriate behavior in the workplace.

“Those who reported a problem to us often mentioned the behavior of the top of their organization as part of that problem,” said chairman Wilbert Tomesen. “As soon as employers, with the permission of a reporter, know that the House is monitoring the way in which a report is handled, that alone is often a trigger to take a closer look at the matter.

Of the 369 requests for advice, 37 were designated as actual “whistleblower cases.” In these cases, the House found a reasonable suspicion of abuse that affects social interest. These cases mainly occurred in healthcare, education, and within municipalities. But there were also reports from the academic world due to concerns about the violation of academic freedom.

In the whistleblower cases, the reporter often already suffered from bullying, social isolation, harassment, termination of employment, or threats at work. “When reporters approach us, they often already have a conflict with the employer. We naturally think about how we can best help them, but it limits our ability to intervene. The sooner people come to us with a suspicion, the better we can help them achieve a proper settlement,” said Tomesen.