Whistleblowing

UK NHS - the whistleblowing policy

Whistle-blowing ESL Lesson Plan: Debate (Pair Work)

Background (read aloud):

You and your partner are board members of the XYZ Company. Some members of the company believe it should adopt a whistle-blowing policy. The policy would include:

• a clearly-defined procedure for reporting issues.
• trained people to receive and investigate reports.
• a commitment to take appropriate action.
• guaranteed protection for whistleblowers against retaliation (punishment).

Roles (each student reads his/her role to himself/herself):

Student A

Your support this policy. Think of reasons why adopting this policy would be beneficial (1-2 minutes). Start the debate when you’re ready by presenting your ideas to your partner.

Student B

You are against this. Think of reasons why such a policy might harm the company [for example, it may contribute to an environment of mistrust, it might make it hard to fire bad employees, etc]. Your partner will begin the debate.