Whistleblowing training teaches staff what counts as whistleblowing, how to raise a concern and what protection they have, and teaches managers how to receive a concern without the person who raised it being treated unfairly. For most UK employers no law requires it, but government guidance lists training for all workers in a typical whistleblowing policy. Employers are also liable when staff victimise a colleague who blew the whistle, unless they took all reasonable steps to prevent it, and banks, building societies and insurers covered by the FCA’s whistleblowing rules must provide training.
This guide explains what counts as whistleblowing, what changed in 2026, why training matters, who needs what, what to cover and how often to train.
What counts as whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing law protects a worker who makes a “qualifying disclosure”. Under section 43B of the Employment Rights Act 1996, that is a disclosure of information which the worker reasonably believes is in the public interest and tends to show one or more of the following:
- a criminal offence
- a failure to comply with a legal obligation
- a miscarriage of justice
- danger to someone’s health or safety
- sexual harassment (since 6 April 2026)
- damage to the environment
- deliberate concealment of any of these.
The wrongdoing can be past, present or likely in future, and it can happen anywhere in the world. A complaint about a worker’s own contract or treatment is usually a grievance, unless it also serves a wider public interest.
To be protected, the disclosure has to go through the right channel. For most workers that means their employer or the person responsible, or a prescribed person such as a regulator. Disclosures to the media are protected only in limited circumstances.
“Worker” has a wide meaning here. The government guidance for employers says it includes employees, agency workers, some trainees and some contractors, and that people are protected from the start of their employment and after they leave.
What protection do whistleblowers have?
- Dismissal. An employee dismissed mainly because they made a protected disclosure is automatically unfairly dismissed. The usual cap on compensation does not apply, so awards are uncapped.
- Detriment. Under section 47B, a worker must not be treated badly because they blew the whistle, for example by losing hours, being sidelined or being harassed.
- Gagging clauses. A term in a contract or settlement agreement that stops someone making a protected disclosure is void.
Section 47B also covers treatment by colleagues. If another worker subjects the whistleblower to a detriment in the course of their employment, the law treats the employer as having done it too, whether or not the employer knew about it. The employer’s defence is to show it took all reasonable steps to prevent it.
Is whistleblowing training a legal requirement?
For most employers, no law names it. The government guidance says you are not legally required to have a whistleblowing policy, but that without one you may be exposed to undetected wrongdoing, reputational damage and legal claims. It says training and support for staff help build trust, and lists “training for all workers on whistleblowing law and internal processes” as part of a typical policy.
Three things make training hard to do without:
- The all reasonable steps defence. The Act does not define reasonable steps. The Equality Act has the same defence for discrimination by staff, and there tribunals look closely at training, including whether it had gone stale. Our guide to equality and diversity training explains what they look for.
- Regulated firms. Under the FCA’s SYSC 18 rules, UK banks, building societies and PRA-designated investment firms (except small deposit takers) and insurers within Solvency II must provide appropriate whistleblowing training for UK-based employees, for their managers wherever they are based, and for the staff who run the whistleblowing arrangements. Other FCA firms may adopt these rules as best practice.
- Economic crime defences. The Ministry of Justice guidance on preventing bribery says people involved in speak up procedures need training suited to that role. Our guide to anti-bribery training covers this.
What changed in 2026?
Since 6 April 2026, disclosures about sexual harassment have been qualifying disclosures, added to section 43B by the Employment Rights Act 2025. Someone who reports sexual harassment of a colleague may now be a whistleblower, protected from detriment and dismissal, as well as being protected from victimisation under the Equality Act.
That links to another change. Since 30 October 2026, employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their staff. Our guide to sexual harassment training covers that duty. Managers now need to recognise that a report of harassment may also be a protected disclosure, and handle it on that basis.
Who needs whistleblowing training?
| Who | What they need |
|---|---|
| All staff | What whistleblowing is, the types of concern covered, how to raise one inside the organisation, the option of a prescribed person, confidentiality and anonymity, and the protection they have. |
| Line managers | How to recognise a protected disclosure, respond well when someone speaks up, pass it on, protect the person from detriment and avoid saying anything that discourages them. |
| People who handle concerns | Your procedure, assessing and investigating concerns, keeping identities confidential, giving feedback and keeping records. |
| Senior leaders and the board | Their role in setting the culture, oversight of the arrangements and, in firms covered by SYSC 18, the annual report on how the arrangements are working. |
| Agency workers and contractors | How to raise a concern with you, as many of them count as workers for whistleblowing purposes. |
A training needs analysis helps you decide the depth of training for each role.
What should whistleblowing training cover?
- What counts. The types of wrongdoing covered, with examples from your own workplace, and how whistleblowing differs from a personal grievance.
- How to raise a concern. Your internal routes, who to contact if the concern involves a manager, anonymous reporting options and external routes to prescribed persons.
- What happens next. How concerns are assessed and investigated, what feedback to expect and why anonymous concerns can be harder to investigate.
- Protection. That detriment and dismissal for whistleblowing are unlawful, and that victimising a colleague who spoke up is a disciplinary matter.
- For managers. How to listen, what to record, who to pass the concern to and how to keep it confidential.
- A short assessment. It checks understanding and gives you a record.
If you work in the NHS or health and social care, the National Guardian’s Office offers free Speak Up, Listen Up, Follow Up modules for workers, managers and senior leaders. Anyone can register for them. Organisations in other sectors still need training on their own policy and reporting routes.
Online or face to face?
E-learning suits the core content every worker needs. Everyone gets the same message about your routes and their protection, new starters can complete it on their first day, and it records completions and results. Scenario-based modules let managers practise responding when someone raises a concern.
Live sessions suit the people who investigate concerns and senior leaders, where discussing real cases is the point.
How often should whistleblowing training be done?
No law sets an interval. We suggest training at induction, a short refresher every year or two, training for managers when they first manage people, and an update when your policy, your reporting routes or the law change, as they did in 2026.
For the other training UK employers must or should provide, see our guide to mandatory training for employees in the UK.
How Capytech helps
FastTrack turns your whistleblowing policy, reporting routes and workplace scenarios into an interactive custom e-learning module with a knowledge check, built from your documents in days. Updates are turned round in 48 hours, so the training stays in line with your policy and the law.
The Capytech course library has around 9,000 short courses, including titles on whistleblowing, honesty and integrity, and speaking up. These explain whistleblowing in general terms, so we add a short UK module built from your own policy.
The Capytech LMS keeps the evidence: who completed which version of the training and when, with their results. Its compliance matrix shows who is valid, due or overdue, and certificates carry renewal dates so refreshers happen on time. FCA-regulated firms can see our page on e-learning for financial services.
Frequently asked questions
Not for most employers. Banks, building societies and insurers covered by the FCA’s SYSC 18 rules must provide it. For everyone else, government guidance lists training for all workers in a typical policy, and training helps show you took all reasonable steps to stop staff victimising a whistleblower.
Since 6 April 2026, a disclosure about sexual harassment can be a protected disclosure under the Employment Rights Act 1996. Government guidance for employers now lists sexual harassment among the types of wrongdoing covered.
Dismissing an employee mainly because they made a protected disclosure is automatically unfair, and compensation is uncapped. Workers are also protected from other unfair treatment, including by colleagues, from the start of their employment.
All workers need to know how to raise a concern and what protection they have. Line managers, people who investigate concerns and senior leaders need more, because how they respond decides whether people speak up again.
There is no set legal interval. Training at induction, a refresher every year or two, training for new managers and an update when your policy or the law changes is a sensible pattern.
See your own training as e-learning, free
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