Whistleblowing Policy
Last updated: 14 September 2025
This policy explains how to raise serious concerns about wrongdoing at Technophobia Ltd. It supports disclosures under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA). It applies to staff, contractors, and anyone working with us.
Report concerns in the public interest, for example:
- Criminal offences, bribery, or fraud.
- Breaches of law or regulation (e.g., data protection or PECR).
- Health and safety risks.
- Environmental damage.
- Cover-ups or deliberate concealment of any of the above.
- Serious misuse of company or client systems or data.
Good-faith mistakes still help. If you raise a concern honestly, you are protected even if it turns out to be wrong.
| Topic | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Personal grievance (e.g., pay, workload, manager conflict) | Raise with your manager or director under our HR/complaints route. |
| Customer service complaint | Use our Complaints Policy. |
| Security incident | Report immediately per the Incident Response & Breach Policy. |
- Email the Whistleblowing Officer (Director): hello@technophobia.uk.
- Or call: +44 1229 774591.
- Use the subject line “Whistleblowing – confidential”.
Include:
- What happened, when, and where.
- People involved and any witnesses.
- Any evidence you hold (do not break laws or policies to get it).
- How we can contact you safely.
- You may report anonymously. It can be harder to investigate.
- If you can, set up a separate email to receive follow-ups.
- We do not tolerate victimisation of anyone who raises a concern in good faith.
- No loss of work, threats, or other detriment for reporting.
- False reports made maliciously may be treated as misconduct.
- We keep your identity confidential where lawful and practical.
| Step | What we do | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledge | Confirm receipt and give a reference (unless anonymous) | Within 5 working days |
| Assess | Triage risk, decide scope, safeguard evidence | Within 10 working days |
| Investigate | Interview, review records, consult experts as needed | Timely based on complexity |
| Outcome | Explain findings and actions where we can | As soon as possible |
We may involve external advisers where needed. If a crime may have been committed, we may contact the authorities.
- We log concerns, steps taken, and outcomes with restricted access.
- We keep records for up to 7 years or as the law requires.
- We handle personal data under our Privacy Policy and Data Retention Schedule.
You can report to a prescribed person or body if that is right for the issue. Examples include:
- Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – data protection.
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – health and safety.
- HMRC – tax, VAT, or duty issues.
- National Crime Agency (NCA) – serious crime or money laundering.
Raising concerns internally first often allows a faster fix, but it is your choice.
- Whistleblowing Officer: a director acts as the lead and keeps the register.
- We brief staff at induction and refresh periodically.
- We review this policy yearly or after material incidents.
Technophobia Ltd · Company No. 14898332 · VAT GB 495 7043 58
13B Devonshire Road Industrial Estate, Millom, LA18 4JS, United Kingdom
Whistleblowing Officer: hello@technophobia.uk · +44 1229 774591