The Sunday Mail
There is an apparent increase in the number of South Africans who say they have personally seen misconduct, a survey by The Ethics Institute shows — but many are still too afraid to report it.
According to Liezl Groenewald, a senior manager at The Ethics Institute, their survey shows that a third of employees in corporate South Africa observe misconduct personally, yet only about half of those who do, end up reporting it.
Fear of victimisation
“People fear that they are not safe when they report something.
“They fear victimisation and fear that organisations will not do anything about it and just sweep it under the carpet,” she said during a panel discussion at a business against corruption-themed event hosted by online publication Daily Maverick on Thursday.
“We hope to assist organisations and people who are still too scared to come out. We want to help them by giving them the training to have the moral courage to speak up and do the right thing,” she said.
“If you do not do it, the (misconduct) will become the norm and you might become one of those people who will always just complain. How must the organisation know that it is doing something wrong if you do not tell them?
It is important to create a safe space for employees where their confidentiality will be protected, she added.
Whistleblowers targeted
During the panel discussion, Stephen van Coller, group CEO of EOH, agreed that, if you don’t provide whistleblowers with the right environment, you won’t get any information.
“Whistleblowers are perceived to be traitors and snakes. It can be a lonely, hard place, but I would do it again. I know what my moral compass is,” said Stimpel, who recently testified at the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture. — Fin24.
