Should bosses encourage workers to keep tabs on their colleagues? Photograph: Getty
Most of us have seen the people we work with indulge in a little sharp practice around the office from time to time - perhaps a few items from the stationery cupboard here or a long-distance phone call there. But you wouldn't want them to get the sack for it. Or would you?
Like many local authorities, Merton Council in south London operates a whistleblowing scheme to weed out workplace malpractice, encouraging both staff and the public to report fraud, environmental damage, criminal activity and health and safety breaches among its employees.
It seems the scheme is proving ever more popular by the year, but why? According to the South London Press, a recent report to the Merton's audit committee highlighted "a tendency [by staff] to report personal grievances through the whistleblowing channels".
No doubt it's a good thing to catch people who genuinely rip the public off, but can office workers, with all the associated politics and petty agendas, be trusted not to abuse such a scheme?
The more you think about it, the more confusing it becomes. Have you ever grassed on a colleague? Where would you draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour? Can it ever be justified for bosses to encourage their staff to spy on colleagues? Or is it actually an effective way of keeping everyone honest?
