A whistleblower is someone who reports waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, or dangers to public health and safety to someone who is in the position to rectify the wrongdoing. Simply put, a whistleblower reports something bad in an organization to people of higher authority.
Whistleblowing dates back to the 1980's, when The Whistleblower Protection Act was created in order to protect employees from workplace retaliation when disclosing waste and fraud.
Now, there are two main types of whistleblowing: internal and external. Internal whistleblowing involves reporting something to a source within the organization. On the other hand, external whistleblowing occurs when the whistleblower takes reports outside the organization, such as to the media or regulators.
There are many positive implications to whistleblowing. For one, this is a way for less represented people or people of a lower ranking in an organization to speak out against what they know is wrong.
Also, this compares to the checks and balances system that we have in our own government, and how the people can stand up against potential corruption in their organization.
However, there are also many negative implications to whistleblowing. One in particular is that since whistleblowers are protected by organizational policies, they tend to be disliked by their peers. Two reasons for this could be because other employees seek that protection, or because whistleblowers can be seen as "tattletails."
Another negative implication that is similar to the one above is that whistleblowers experience retaliation by their organizations which negatively affects their health and well-being. Some forms of these affects include dismissal, discrimination, harassment, and isolation in the workplace.
There are many affects that whistleblowers have on society as a whole. One major thing to note is that whistleblowers have a huge affect on organizations and corporations. When a whistleblower reports wrongdoings within a company or organization, they are essentially calling out that company and deeming something within their system as negligent.
This causes a domino effect where once higher-ups, such as managers and even the CEO hear about the report, it could have detrimental affects to their workplace and employees, potentially leading to the closure of the company altogether.
On the other hand, a positive affect this can have on society is that whistleblowers can, in many cases, protect their anonymity. This protects the whistleblower from potential harassment in the workplace and ultimately protects their reputation.
When looking at people in general, we can see how whistleblowers can not only affect the workplace or an employee, but also someone's way of life. We discussed how whistleblowers themselves can be affected through things like discrimination and harassment. However, we also have to consider the potential affects that they can have on people of different status.
Someone who is wealthy most likely won't be as affected by whistleblowing compared to someone who might not have a lot of money. Likewise, males and straight people could be affected differently than females and gay people because they are part of minority groups. Research shows that when whistleblowers are women, their actions are perceived unfavorably.
From my perspective, whistleblowing can have a damaging affect on myself, family, and friends. For example, if someone were to call me out on something that I did wrong in my job, it could damage my status and I could even lose that job.
The same thing can be said about my friends and family. If a whistleblower were to report something that they did in their job, they would have to deal with the possibility of getting fired.
Overall, whistleblowing is a very serious thing that allows people to keep companies and organizations in check. While they can be very helpful in reporting wrongdoing within these settings, whistleblowers are also running the risk of harming their own reputation as well as the companies' reputation. Ultimately, whistleblowing is extremely important in upholding accountability and justice within organizations.
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