The Ethics of Whistleblowing

An A1 Presentation by Andre

What Is Whistleblowing?

“Whistleblowing normally has been identified as an action taken by an employee, alerting society to potential or actual damage to the public as a result of present or future actions of the firm.”

Whistleblowing can also be broken down into two different categories in which the employee may notify others of the alleged wrongdoing; either internally or externally.

Internal and External Whistleblowing

• Internal Whistleblowing -is when an employee will first try to notify their superiors of whatever wrongdoing is occurring. The employee will follow the proper channels to notify the upper management in order for their complaint to be heard.

• External Whistleblowing -is when an employee will notify the media, public interest groups, or regulatory agencies rather than the management of the firm they work for.

My Claim

I believe that whistleblowing is a courageous act made by people who are not afraid to look in the opposite direction when they see any wrongdoing made by the business they work for.

They are not traitors to their employers just because they put their moral concern for the public/environment before them.

Hey here’s a guy talking about whistleblowing!!!

Check out this video clip

Legal Aid

• Mistreated employees have legal avenues for redress, although many of these laws are enforced by the same systems in which the charges originated. Nevertheless, there are signs that whistleblowers will be afforded some protection from employer reprisals.

• All states and the District of Columbia do have laws that protect whistleblowers. However they only protect public employees. There are federal laws that protect state employees.

Why Employees should “blow the whistle”

• Whistle blowers keep businesses honest.-they keep businesses from committing illegal activity, which protects local populations and environments.

• They keep good work environments.-Whistleblowing allows communication between low level employees and their managers.

Employers Need to Encourage Whistleblowing

• If employers encourage their employees to report any wrongdoing it will allow a strong relationship between the employer and employees to grow.

• It will allow employees to keep not only the company but themselves in check. Which will create a stable work environment.

In Conclusion

• Whistleblowing is good• Employers need to encourage whistleblowing• The notion that whistleblowers are traitors

needs to stop.

My Cites Ettorre, B. (1994). Whistleblowers: Who's the real bad guy? Management Review, 83.Heacock, M., & McGee, G. (1987). Whistleblowing: An Ethical Issue in Organizational and Human Behavior. Business & Professional Ethics Journal, 6(4), 35-46.Lindblom, L. (2007). Dissolving the Moral Dilemma of Whistleblowing. Journal of Business Ethics, 76(4), 413-426.