A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, usually an employee, who exposes information or activity within a private, public, or government organization that is deemed illegal, illicit, unsafe, fraud, or abuse of taxpayer funds.
Is whistleblowing good or bad?
03/24/2015. The ethics of whistleblowing is a tricky matter. Whistle-blowing brings two moral values, fairness and loyalty, into conflict. ... Responsible people blow the whistle when they believe more harm than good will occur if the whistle-blower stays silent .
What is the role of a whistleblower?
A whistleblower can be any person who reports suspicions of bribery of foreign public officials to law enforcement authorities , an employee who reports internally to the company, or third persons who report to law enforcement or the media. Whistleblowers who report are sometimes also involved in the offence.
What happens during whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing is the term used when a worker passes on information concerning wrongdoing . In this guidance, we call that “making a disclosure” or “blowing the whistle”. The wrongdoing will typically (although not necessarily) be something they have witnessed at work.
What is an example of a whistleblower?
Whistleblower Examples Include Employees Who Report Corruption, Discrimination, Harassment, and Fraud . Examples of whistleblower cases cover considerable territory, from accounting irregularities and government fraud to racial discrimination and sexual harassment.
Why are whistleblowers bad?
Often, the reason why whistleblowers suffer a bad reputation is that they are the key reason for uncovering significant fraud and seeing that those who are guilty are held accountable for their actions.
Who can be whistleblower?
Definition: A whistleblower is a person, who could be an employee of a company, or a government agency , disclosing information to the public or some higher authority about any wrongdoing, which could be in the form of fraud, corruption, etc.
What are the disadvantages of whistleblowing?
- Drawback #1: You’ll be labeled. ...
- Reward #1: You can sleep at night. ...
- Drawback #2: You may face retaliation. ...
- Reward #2: You’ll empower other honest people. ...
- Drawback #3: Your finances (and maybe your sanity) will come under fire. ...
- Reward #3: The law should make you whole — and you might get a financial windfall.
What are the pros and cons of whistleblowing?
- Pro: Exposing Fraudulent Activity Is the Right Thing to Do. ...
- Con: Your Career Could Suffer. ...
- Pro: Protection from Retaliation Is Available. ...
- Con: Your Relationships May Suffer.
Is whistleblowing unethical?
Whistle-blowing always involves an actual or at least declared intention to prevent something bad that would otherwise occur. It always involves information that would not ordinarily be revealed. Looking at the conclusions and certain criteria given by many ethicists, whistle-blowing is an ethical action .
Do whistleblowers get paid?
A whistleblower who files a successful claim is paid a reward that equals between 15% and 25% of the amount recovered by the government if the government joined in the case prior to settlement or trial.
Can whistleblowers remain anonymous?
The Securities Exchange Act (SEC Act), which covers fraud in publicly traded companies, is one of the laws that allows whistleblowers to remain totally anonymous . Whistleblowers under the SEC Act receive 10 to 30% of the total proceeds collected by the government. ... —allows whistleblowers to file anonymous claims.
What are the three steps in the whistleblowing process?
- Step 1 – Get Evidence. This is the most important step in your whistleblower claim.
- Step 2 – Presenting the Evidence.
- Step 3 – Government Investigation.
- Step 4 – The Decision.
How are whistleblowers protected?
It’s in the public interest that the law protects whistleblowers so that they can speak out if they find malpractice in an organisation. As a whistleblower you’re protected from victimisation if you’re: a worker. revealing information of the right type by making what is known as a ‘qualifying disclosure’
Who was the first whistleblower?
The first act of the Continental Congress in favor of what later came to be called whistleblowing came in the 1777-8 case of Samuel Shaw and Richard Marven. The two seamen accused Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy Esek Hopkins of torturing British prisoners of war.
What are the two types of whistleblowing?
There are two types of whistleblowing. The first is internal whistleblowing . This means that the whistleblower reports misconduct to another person within the organization. The second type is external whistleblowing.
