Why aren’t employers listening to Covid-19 anxieties?

Why aren’t employers listening to Covid-19 anxieties?

A new report from whistleblowing charity Protect has exposed poor responses from employers to staff with legitimate worries about pandemic safety measures and furlough fraud.

The Best Warning System: Whistleblowing during Covid-19 is based on an analysis of more than 600 calls to the Protect advice line. The majority of cases were found to be around companies exploiting the Government’s furlough scheme, asking furloughed employees to carry on with work duties; followed by the lack of availability of PPE and provision for social distancing.

‘Indifferent’ response

The analysis highlighted how 32% of the managers involved had lost their job as a result of whistleblowing, compared with 21% of those who were non-managers. Furlough fraud was a particular problem among small employers. 41% of employers were said to have been ‘indifferent’ about the issues raised.

One case study featured a worker at a food processing plant whose worries about employees breaching social distancing guidelines had been ignored by HR. When he began to wear a face mask at work he was suspended. Although new rules around wearing face masks were introduced, the whistleblower was still dismissed.

Staff are the best early warning system for making sure workforces are kept safe, said Protect chief executive Liz Gardiner: “There is no excuse for employers to ignore whistleblowers, but during a global pandemic, it is a danger for us all when concerns are not acted on and the consequences could be a matter of life and death.”

Keep talking

“All employees have to feel they can raise legitimate fears about safety or law-breaking,” said EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell. “During the current climate of crisis it’s an imperative. A lack of trust can spread quickly and lead to a toxic culture of silence and suspicion, low motivation, relationship breakdowns.

“The best employers will actively be working to build a culture of security, where people feel able to speak up if they need to, knowing they will be listened to, there will be a professional response from their line managers and issues won’t just be swept under the carpet.

“Having an EAP in place is a key element for a building a secure and resilient culture. Besides being a demonstration of commitment to the psychological wellbeing of staff, it means that people are able to work out personal issues and any related work stress or financial worries, making then better placed to deal with strains from working through the Covid-19 period.”