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Phila Siu

Employees in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly unwilling to report suspected fraud or corruption for fear of damaging their careers, according to a survey by accounting firm Ernst and Young.
In February, the company questioned about 1,500 people in 14 economies around the region, including Hong Kong, the mainland and Japan, about their opinions on fraud and corruption in the workplace.
Asked if they would be prepared to use a whistle-blowing hotline to report fraud, only 53 per cent said they were.
The figure was a drop from the 81 per cent two years ago when a similar survey was conducted.
"They are concerned about the lack of confidentiality regarding how their reports are handled," said Chris Fordham, the firm's Asia-Pacific managing partner of fraud investigation and dispute services.
Other reasons included fear of retaliation if the identities of whistle-blowers are exposed.
"Again it goes back to the people issue. The implementation of a whistle-blowing hotline is not enough. The employees need to be confident in how their reports are dealt with," he said.
"In our experience as fraud investigators, if the employees feel unable to use whistle-blowing policy, they will often leave the company."
On the sharp drop in the number willing to report possible graft, Fordham said workers may have been influenced by what happened to recent high-profile whistle-blowers.
Former US National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden has been living in exile in Russia since 2013 after revealing details of the agency's mass surveillance programmes.
The survey also found that 93 per cent of the Hong Kong respondents would be unwilling to work for their employer if the company was involved in bribery or corruption.
On cybersecurity, only 55 per cent of respondents in the Asia-Pacific region, and 41 per cent in Hong Kong, thought their companies were fully prepared to protect themselves from cyber threats.
Those surveyed came from various industries including banking, real estate, technology, and manufacturing. They included management-level staff and lower-level employees.


Would-be whistle-blowers on graft deterred by career fears, says Hong Kong study

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Hong Kong

Law and Crime