Protected Disclosure

Do you know how to recognise a Protected Disclosure and if so, are you familiar enough with your Company’s Whistleblowing procedures to carry out the appropriate process?

Perhaps it is time to reacquaint yourself with your process, it might just save you €64,000.00!

In January 2025, a WRC Adjudicator awarded a Complainant a whopping €64,000.00 following the unfair dismissal and penalisation of the employee after making two back-to-back protected disclosures.

The employee claimed that he had raised health and safety concerns to both management and ownership of the Organisation and had even provided a first-hand account of what he had witnessed.

Shortly after, the employee was dismissed from his position during a phone call with the Owner, whilst discussing a separate issue. Within 15 minutes of this phone call, the employee’s dismissal had been published by the employer, and he then received confirmation of his dismissal via email the following day.

Days later, the Owner attempted to contact the employee with an apology and asked if he would return to his role. The employee declined the proposal, as he believed that the working relationship was damaged beyond repair.

After hearing the case, the WRC Adjudicator concluded that due to a lack of evidence of any process surrounding the employee’s protected disclosures, that it was plausible that the employee had been unfairly dismissed from his role as a direct result of same, amounting to Unfair Dismissal and Penalisation.

So, how do we avoid cases like these? Easy!

• Train management to recognise a Protected Disclosure.
• Understand and apply correct procedures.
• Consult with your HR Advisor on any ongoing HR issues.

Play ball and you might just save yourself €64,000.00!

ADJ-00054469 – Workplace Relations Commission