Whistleblower, a hero
to some and a villain to others. A
whistleblower stands on two diametrical ends of the spectrum and more often
than not walks the lonely path of a no man’s land.
Until the Enron saga
unfolded, whistleblowing always had an uncomplimentary slant. Whistleblowers themselves stigmatized as
disloyal employees who create trouble for their employers. Only now are perceptions beginning to change,
as whistleblowing is now viewed as an accountability and risk management tool
that can be used to safeguard the interest of the company and the public.
A whistleblower’s act
is seen like a betrayal of trust akin to biting the hand that feeds. Experience has shown that whistleblower find
themselves isolated from their colleagues and management, sacked, demoted, sued
or otherwise victimized, usually for breach of confidence or for defamation. The. The wondrous and courages acts of the whistleblower
help unearth the Pandora’s box, cobwebs hidden in the cupboards, expose
corruption, lay open debauchery and other transgressions which otherwise would
remain hidden from the public eye.
A whistleblower is
defined as someone who discloses significant acts of corruption, waste, fraud,
mismanagement or abuse of authority in contravention of the Country’s laws or
regulations in either the public or private sector. It up holds moral, ethical practices and
professionalism.
To blow a whistle,
undoubtedly, requires extraordinary courage. The whistleblowers dilemma is two-fold:
- Risks job and career prospects
- Engaging in what most people would deem slanderous and damaging activities.
 |
| credit to shutterstock |
The truth is, bribery, the bending of safety
rules and other unlawful acts are hard to detect without the help of
whistleblowers. It is necessary to
protect those providing confidential information. Few will share such information when the risk
of being exposed is high. Often the
whistleblowers are painted to be the bad guy.
The law and a change of mindset are required to encourage
whistleblowing but it is a difficult task.
The whistleblower will naturally face a dilemma between acting in the public
interest and a sense of loyalty to management and colleagues. It is crucial that this sense of loyalty and
respect for authority do not over shadow the more basic values of what is right
and wrong. We must reinforce acceptance
that loyalty to employees stop when public harm becomes an issue.
Whistleblowers are responsible people who have
the courage to do as their conscience dictates.
Despite facing huge risks of reprisal and sometimes endangering their
lives and their families, they have the fortitude and strength to stand up
against the transgressions and their perpetrators.
Whistling is easy but blowing the whistle in
business is not that easy. It requires
extraordinary courage and the recriminations that follow such selfless acts can
sometimes bring down lesser mortals.
Whistleblowers can
play an important role in the monitoring. The presence of whistleblowers bring about a
credible threat of discovery and prosecution to those who are guilty of crime,
civil offences, miscarriage of justice, danger to health and safety or the
environment, and the cover up of any those.
A healthy culture of
whistleblowing is an essential building block of civil society. But whistleblowers often face an uphill, seemingly
insurmountable task, in bringing their concerns to public light. The downside is that there are risks too – losing
your job, unresponsive agencies who may not protect you, the emotional and
mental cost to you and your family, friends may ostracize you,, and of course,
retaliation.
Whistleblowing
carries serious repercussions and you must be mentally strong to withstand the
on-slaught of recrimination. Tips on
deciding whether to whistleblower:
1. Remaining strong
- Consider seeing a lawyer.
- Learn about protection against retaliation
- Weight the risks
2. Staying safe
- Trusting selected others
- Don’t take unnecessary risks
- Be careful who to trust and keep the number small
- Get all the evidence you can
- Keep a log in a bound book, ensuring no pages can be added or removed.
- Document everything applicable and regularly
- Keep it in a safe place
- Get copies it everything incriminating
- Weight of evidence and totality of the record will matter a great deal.
3. Thinking a head
- Prepare an ‘escape plan’ should you need to get out of the situation quickly and safely
- Remove all but essential material from your office
- Mentally practice escaping
4. Seizing the initiative
- Choose the time and place to announce your position
- If resigning, include a brief letter generally describing your reasons
- Delivering it in person along with unbiased witness
5. Maintaining high ground
- Don’t depreciate your position and cause by acting immaturely
- Avoid screaming and petty behavior.
Whistleblowers are
courages people who act to protect others. Whistleblowing in essence, comes down to
courage to have or have not.
From article by:
Eddie
Lee
Accountant
Today
September
2005
