By Adam Turteltaub

Managing whistleblowers is always a hot topic, and you’ll find it on the agenda at the 2025 SCCE Annual Compliance & Ethics Institute.   To provide a preview of what you will see if you join us in Nashville, we sat down with the speakers for the session “Someone Blew The Whistle: Perspectives from Former Whistleblowers, In-House Compliance, and External Investigators”.

The speakers in Nashville, and guests of this podcast, are:

Jordan Segall, Senior Counsel, Ethics & Compliance, Xylem

John Pease, Partner, Morgan Lewis

Andrew Bakaj, Chief Legal Counsel, Whistleblower Aid.

In our conversation they share the work Xylem has done to encourage internal whistleblowing.  The compliance team’s efforts include not just having a policy but ensuring that it is clearly accessible as well as explaining confidentiality, anonymity, and even investigative standards and processes.

The company offers their employees multiple avenues to speak up, including HR, internal audit, the hotline, compliance, and even the audit committee of the board.

These efforts are important, the speakers explain, because when whistleblowers go outside and bring a matter to the qui tame bar, typically it’s because they felt that their concerns weren’t taken seriously.

To help keep employees from going outside, they offer several recommendations.  First, show employees that their concerns are appreciated and will be looked into.  Second, explain the investigative process.  Third, to the extent possible, provide regular updates.  Fourth, clearly communicate what the next steps are.

Listen in to learn more, and then be sure to join their session at the  Compliance & Ethics Institute in Nashville.