Post #9- Whistle Blowers

Whistle blower 

 

What is a whistleblower? A whistleblower is someone, usually an employee, who leaks private or compromising information about a company's wrongdoing to the public. Whistleblowers play an extremely important role in the continuation and integrity of our government and governments across the globe. Keeping big business like the evil Google and Facebook in line when trying to steal more of our personal information through some logistical loophole is key in this day and age. Whistleblowers help the public hold companies with influential amounts of power accountable as they usually have the resources to effectively conceal their wrongdoings.

Why are whistleblowers important? Whistleblowers are a critical tool in exposing fraud and other wrongdoing not only around the country but around the globe! Whistle blowers helped expose Watergate, the health dangers of nicotine and tobacco products, and so much more. Because of their importance, whistleblowers are protected under various laws and policies. For example, The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 was created to protect federal employees who disclose information exposing corruption and/or other illegal activities. This Act ensures their job security protects them against retaliation from those involved in the crime. Many other companies have written policies and reporting procedures that protect the identities of whistleblowers and their reputations. In reporting, there are many resources, like OSHA's hotlines, which help whistleblowers report information while maintaining their anonymity. Large companies can also put pressure on employees and intimidate them or threaten them into complying. Because of this, whistleblowers may be fearful of blowback, retaliation, and/or job loss. This is why Acts and policies that protect them are so vital, as they also may help eliminate potential risk factors that may prevent whistleblowers from exposing wrongdoings. This may make whistleblowers feel more comfortable and empowered to divulge compromising information about powerful entities.

Is whistleblowing illegal? In short, no, but if the information puts national security and/or government employees at risk, then it may be. Whistleblowers have leaked a lot of information that has blown up in the past few years. With this big companies would push the horrible things they are doing and awful ways their companies are run under the rug *cough cough evil face book* *cough cough google*. Some things may never be found out about and, our day to day personal life is put at less of a risk due to whistleblowers.

Whistle blowing can also be helpful within an organization for employees to turn in other employees who they feel are not acting appropriately. For example, in the accounting and finance department, employees may be pressured to change financial information, or hide losses to make the company's profits look better to their board of directors or even to the public.

Employees need to feel safe to report these kinds of actions. There are many different ways developed for employees to whistle blow. Some companies have confidential hotlines within the firm. Others have external ways to report this type of action. If employees feel that they are going to be retaliated against when whistle blowing then they will never report things. It is critical to have a safe, confidential way to report, or the people doing wrong within the company will continue to perpetuate their bad acts, potentially harming their own company and the public too.