About The Author
Shannon Walker is the founder of WhistleBlower Security Inc. (WBS) and executive VP of Thought Leadership and Strategy at Case IQ. WBS provides ethics, compliance, and loss prevention hotlines, along with IntegrityCounts, a proprietary case management platform for organizations globally. Shannon frequently speaks around the world on whistleblowing, ethics, corporate culture and diversity.

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Organizations often struggle to understand their employees' perception of their whistleblowing program, particularly when artificial intelligence (AI) becomes integrated into the framework. To better understand employee sentiment regarding this integration, Case IQ conducted a research study encompassing five different countries. Reviewing employees' perceptions of trust in reporting and the inclusion of AI-driven tools in this manner offers workplaces an opportunity to strengthen their compliance workflows, both from an administrative and human perspective.

Why Do Reporting Rates Remain Lower Than Misconduct Visibility?

The Case IQ Research Study (Canada) found that 57.5% of Canadian employees have witnessed workplace misconduct. However, only 55.9% of those reported the incident.

There may be a link between reporting misconduct and employees facing retaliation: Case IQ found that 19% of employees have experienced or witnessed reprisals against whistleblowers, and 16.7% reported potentially witnessing retribution but are unsure whether they did.

Participants cited “fear of retaliation,” “stress,” and “power imbalance/authority of wrongdoer” as their top reasons for not speaking up. This shows that when the company culture doesn’t feel safe for reporters, the organization could be at risk of misconduct going unnoticed.

What Prevents Employees From Using Existing Reporting Channels?

As mentioned above, employees may not report wrongdoing due to fear of retaliation, stress, or if the wrongdoer holds an authoritative position. They also might not report because they are unaware that their workplace has a reporting channel.

The study found that only 36.7% of respondents reported that their workplaces had a whistleblower program with established reporting guidelines. While 27.6% stated they weren’t sure whether a program existed, 35.3% claimed that no whistleblowing program existed.

What Can Organizations Do to Increase the Number of Reports?

Visibility isn’t enough; to encourage employees to report, they need to feel safe knowing that their confidentiality is safeguarded. This includes:

• Expanding the organization's reporting mechanisms to make them more accessible to employees working remotely, or who primarily speak a different language.
  
  
• Promoting the program to employees who aren’t sure how to make a report, or are unaware that their workplace has established reporting channels.
  
  
• Communicating to employees how the program protects their personal information and identity. This is especially important if employees are hesitant due to fear of retaliation.

Why Does Psychological Safety Matter in Whistleblowing Programs?

Nearly 56% of respondents believe that their senior leadership teams promote an internal culture of ethical behaviour and accountability, and 63% feel that their company’s whistleblowing program is effective. Fostering a strong workplace speak-up culture is crucial to promoting psychological safety among employees and increasing reporting numbers.

Research from the Open Psychology Journal states that employees may struggle to collaborate with peers or innovate if they don’t feel safe at work. This involves not only communicating frequently with employees about the whistleblowing program, but also promoting its confidentiality policies and visibility. Consider:

• Outlining clear guidelines on privacy
• Giving examples of the program's use cases
• Providing guidelines on how to access the program's multiple reporting channels

Without these, employees may feel unsupported by their workplace, which could be detrimental to their psychological safety.

It’s essential to note that even well-designed programs may underperform if employees' psychological safety isn’t considered. This calls for proper leadership involvement and transparency in intake procedures to ensure employee privacy is safeguarded throughout the reporting process and during investigations.

What Do Canadian Employees Expect From AI in Reporting Systems?

AI could help address many of the shortcomings inherent in traditional whistleblowing programs. Yet, workplaces shouldn’t integrate AI into their programs without careful planning.

• Case IQ’s research finds that 1% of employees had concerns regarding AI-driven whistleblowing tools, with 49.8% being skeptical or unsure about their integration.
• Interestingly, 1% of Canadian workers believe AI in reporting systems must be disclosed, showcasing a need for transparency.

This brings to attention that AI-powered whistleblowing tools require careful planning and transparency in how compliance and HR teams will use them to enhance their speak-up programs.

Do Canadians Believe AI Can Increase the Number of Reports?

Canadians may have reservations about whether AI can truly encourage more reports.

• While 3% believed AI could, in fact, increase the number of reports, 31.7% remained undecided, and 14% expressed opposition.

To promote AI-powered whistleblowing tools, workplaces will need to clearly communicate how they will use the technology, explaining that AI enhances, rather than replaces, human oversight. This includes benefits such as reduced bias, shorter response times, and increased confidentiality.

How Can Organizations Improve Their Whistleblowing Frameworks?

Organizations can draw many lessons from Case IQ’s research to strengthen their internal whistleblower programs, whether they require leadership involvement or AI transparency.

Regular Methods to Improve Whistleblower Programs

• Strengthen Program Visibility through Leadership Communication: Leaders should regularly remind employees how, when, and why to use internal whistleblowing mechanisms. This demonstrates a commitment to workplace fairness, builds trust, and helps reduce uncertainty about how to make reports or whether programs exist.
• Reinforce Anti-Retaliation Protections: Establish clear policies, monitor for subtle retaliation, and make follow-ups a part of every case to keep whistleblowers informed rather than leaving them in the dark. Leadership must model zero-tolerance for retaliatory behaviour and communicate investigation outcomes when appropriate to maintain transparency around whistleblower protections.
• Promote a Culture of Safety: Integrate whistleblowing and ethics training into the onboarding process and periodically as a refresher. Focus on reducing fears of reporting, clarifying reporting pathways, and encouraging supportive behaviours from managers so employees feel psychologically safe when raising concerns.

AI-Related Methods to Strengthen Reporting Outcomes

• Be Transparent About How AI Supports the Program: Communicate what AI tools do and outline strict privacy safeguards, from assisting intake to supporting human review. Transparent messaging can mitigate employee skepticism when they better understand how it enhances (rather than replaces) human teams.
• Educate Teams on AI’s Role: Train employees on how AI fits into existing workflows, using case studies, FAQs, and leadership-endorsed guidance.
• Position AI as a Supportive Layer: Frame AI as a tool that strengthens anonymity while remaining under human oversight. Reinforce that human-led teams remain accountable for ethical decision-making and that technology acts as an added protection, rather than a replacement for trusted processes.

Building a Safer Future for Canadian Employees

Canadian employees are willing to report concerns, but organizations need to ensure that their programs are safe, private, and accessible. Workplaces can help rebuild trust by increasing reporting pathways, reinforcing protection against retaliation, and communicating openly about how AI supports the process. By combining ethical leadership with responsible technology use, workplaces can foster a culture where speaking up feels supported and essential to organizational integrity.