Reporting policy concerns

If you have a concern about a policy, or about the way it is being carried out, you should contact the named person responsible for that policy. Your concern should be raised internally with a member of staff inside the organisation, rather than sent to the police, an outside regulator or management in general.

Who to contact

The named person is the employee given responsibility for that policy area. They know what the policy says, why it exists and what should happen when it is not followed, which makes them the right person to contact.

Why report internally

Raising the concern with the responsible employee means the issue can be looked into and dealt with by someone who has the authority to act. For example, at a bike repair company, a technician notices that customer repair forms containing phone numbers are left on a desk in an open area. The data protection policy says these forms should be locked away. The technician tells the named person responsible for the data protection policy. That person can investigate the issue, remind staff of the correct way to store forms or recommend a change to the policy.

Why defined responsibilities help

When responsibilities are defined, staff know the correct route and the person to approach. They do not have to guess or report to a general manager who may not know the policy. If responsibilities were not defined, staff would not know who to report concerns to, and policies would be applied inconsistently in different teams.