Honesty. It’s such a lonely word. And its brother, integrity, is a rare thing too. Oddly, these are values that get a lot of negative attention. Living by these principles is what defines a person, and is often celebrated at funerals, yet truth seekers and whistle-blowers come under attack while they're still alive, bullied, harassed, and dehumanized for holding a mirror up to the truth. It’s a strange thing.
Researchers and formal bodies sing the praises of whistleblowing and many people will proudly include honesty on their CVs and profiles, whether, ironically, it's true or not.
Often, that particular badge is a red flag, while the true heroes, people who live and breathe integrity, and those who put their careers and lives under threat are mainly quiet about their inherent qualities. Their lived experiences are more often than not a harrowing testament to what honesty and integrity really are.
Workplace Whistleblowing: Real-life Examples of Good and Bad Outcomes for the Whistleblowers
Wikipedia's List of whistleblowers is a list of whistleblowers from several countries, starting in 1777 with Samuel Shaw and Richard Marven who served in the United States Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War. Blowing the whistle on the torturing of British POWs by Commodore Esek Hopkins (their commander-in-chief), the actions of the two naval officers led to the enactment of the whistleblower protection law on July 30, 1778, by the Continental Congress in a unanimous vote. This followed a libel suit filed against them by Hopkins.
Some 238 years later, in 2015, as the heyday of toxic masculinity (that involves cultural pressures for men to behave in a certain way, for example by sticking together and not ratting each other out on bad behavior) was waning and people were being called out for aggressive actions, Shaw was recognized at the First Congressional Celebration of National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. Honored as one of two federal employees who created protections for those who stand for truth, Shaw, and the support he received over two centuries earlier, exemplified what men should do when faced with a difficult choice. Better late than never.
In this century, Lily (*name changed) worked as an administrator for a conglomerate of legal people, a group who saw themselves as the cream of the crop, superior in thinking and morality to the rest of the mere mortals in their world. Perhaps the only superior thing was the size of their egos.
Discovering within the first few months that there were material discrepancies that came from the very top of the organization, and that materially affected the pockets of those further down was a conundrum. Who do you report it to?
Drilling deeper, it got worse. There were so many connected and compromised people that asking questions became a risky exercise. Run in the worst possible nepotistic way, corruption had become entrenched in the organization over the years and those who didn't indulge simply weren't part of the cool kids club. Lily's position became precarious when the non-cool kids in the group decided to break away and go elsewhere, leaving her in the vipers’ pit.
All she could do was her best, and report as politely as possible, but she had already become a potential scapegoat by the more expert gaslighters in the group. When she kept her side clean, she became a target. Lies, backroom whispers, and false accusations soon became the order of her every day.
Lily said, “The thing that really got to me was the sheer brazen dishonesty of it all, and from people who believed that they were held in high regard by the world.”
After spreading vicious propaganda to dehumanize her and discredit every act or statement, the same people pursued disciplinary action, sending one of their own to be her representative, a confidante to leech out any useful information she may have. It was a David and Goliath battle, except Goliath had stolen the rocks, an attack on her person, with the goal of ridding the organization of any threats to the Cool Kids Collusion Club.
A settlement was ultimately reached and she left voluntarily, but the experience was a living nightmare, the bullyboy tactics taking away part of her essential being, knocking her confidence and belief in the system. It was a life lesson, but a hard one.
A horror story for Samuel Shaw and Lily, but a tame one for those who have experienced far worse. However the consequences of whistleblowing are experienced, putting your life back on track is no simple matter, and doing it in less than 238 years is not just the challenge, but maybe the best revenge you can have on those who took you down. Understanding the logistics of whistleblowing helps too.
The What’s, Why’s and Wherefore’s of Whistleblowing
What is a Whistleblower?
According to Transparency International, a whistleblower divulges information about wrongdoing or corruption happening in or committed by an organization to those people or entities they believe will be able to effect action, whether it be the organization itself, the relevant authorities, or the public.
What are the 2 Types of Whistleblowers?
Internal whistleblowing: Typically, an employee alerts another person, usually a senior official or a professional, inside the company about workplace wrongdoing. Often done by email, there is a trend towards implementing official anonymous reporting paths within corporations.
External whistleblowing: Going outside the organization by informing a third party, such as the police, a law office, or the media, about wrongdoing or corruption in a company.
Although the purpose of using formal whistleblowing channels is to get reports of wrongdoing and reach out to whistleblowers, a key element is keeping whistleblowers in the loop by letting them know of any progress. The decision to blow the whistle may have been an excruciating choice.
How the Decision to Blow the Whistle is Reached
In their research paper, Examining Whistleblowing Intention: The Influence of Rationalization on Wrongdoing and Threat of Retaliation, Khan et al say those who expose wrongdoing often face pressures and concerns, and consider threats of retaliation before reaching a decision. It's not an easy thing to decide between what you believe to be the right thing- that which resonates with your heart and soul, and facing an uncertain future, bearing the consequences of standing up for those things that are meaningful.
Participants in the study- 450 employees in the telecom sector, answered questions covering the things a prospective whistleblower considers, which can be summarized, broadly, into seriousness, threat of retaliation, and rationalization:
The effects of perceived seriousness of wrongdoing: Employees’ willingness to blow the whistle increases where there is perceived seriousness attached to the wrongdoing.
The perceived threat of retaliation: Whistleblowers are more likely to remain silent if they expect a greater threat of retaliation.
Seriousness vs Retaliation: There is a positive connection between the perceived seriousness of the wrongdoing and whistleblowing intention, and perceived seriousness enhances willingness to blow the whistle. Whistleblowers are more likely to report where the behavior is more serious.
The effect of rationalization: Rationalizing plays a moderating role in regulating the connections between the perceived seriousness and the perceived threat of retaliation, with the whistleblower’s intention adding to the relationship.
The mediating effect of anticipated regret: Potential future regret reconciles the connection between perceived seriousness and the intention to report wrongdoing.
Rationalization, according to the authors, has an impact on the perceived seriousness of the wrongdoing as well as the perceived threat of retaliation, implying that rationalization could help individuals to convince themselves of the seriousness of wrongdoing and, as a result, prompt them to report it. It's a balancing of the pros and cons, with rational thought justifying the decision.
The paper concludes that when the best-case scenario is not necessarily better than another alternative, whistleblowers experience anticipated regret. Because people tend to be regret-averse, they are likely to choose a regret-avoiding alternative.
Decisions Decisions, The Consequences Of Whistleblowing
What are the 8 Consequences of Whistleblowing?
82 studies were consulted by the authors of The Consequences of Whistle-blowing who concluded that, in healthcare, consequences include:
The negative consequences to whistle-blowers:
Financial, occupational, and legal effects.
Effects on the social life and emotions of the whistleblower.
Other effects such as physical health and character assassination.
Positive consequences:
Improvements to patient safety and clinical services.
Successes with employment tribunal claims, settlements, and court injunctions.
Retraction of articles with fraudulent data) and subsequent changes to medical journal publication rules.
Consequences of no whistle-blowing include
Negative emotions such as guilt.
Investigations of people for not reporting.
These are consequences that could apply to different settings. The health sector-specific improvements to patients would include an improvement in customer relationships in other sectors, which affect the bottom line. It is in the best interests of organizations to implement a whistleblowing mechanism that steers clear of the perception of it being a witch hunt and seeks to reward good behavior.
Examples of reward-based incentives for whistleblowing include:
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Program established in July 2010 by the Congress approved Dodd-Frank Act, a response to the global financial crisis of 2008. The initiative helped the SEC uncover and stop fraudulent schemes while protecting investors. About $700 million has been paid in compensation to whistleblowers since 2012, as compared with penalties levied against wrongdoers which totaled over $2.7 billion in the form of fines and penalties
The American Council on Fraud and Ethics’s (ACFE) 2020 Report to the Nations has received complaints complaints via business hotlines or reporting systems since 2010. Whistleblowers who met the ACFE’s criteria were paid around $368 million in compensation, including the five highest awards in the program’s history, with two exceeding $50 million.
Why are Whistleblowers so Traumatized?
In her paper, Institutional Betrayal and Gaslighting: Why Whistle-Blowers Are So Traumatized? Kathy Ahern observes that notwithstanding legislated whistle-blower protection and workplace codes of conduct, retaliation against people who report wrongdoing is common. She notes similarities between institutional betrayal and intimate partner violence, describing the abuse in these very different settings as strikingly similar.
Both intimate partners who are subjected to abuse and whistleblowers who have been betrayed show signs of anxiety, sadness, and a pervasive loss of sense of self-worth. Although whistle-blowers suffer reprisals, they are further traumatized by the emotional manipulation used routinely by employers who discredit and punish employees who report misconduct.
A phenomenon known as "Whistle-blower gaslighting" leaves the whistle-blower doubting their competence, perceptions, and mental state. By enabling reprisals and explaining them away, the organization effectively declares that the whistle-blower is irrational and simply overreacting to normal everyday interactions. By employing these types of strategies, the whistle-blower becomes trapped in a maze of enforced helplessness.
While all trauma sufferers don’t fit the diagnosis for PTSD, there are certainly some who do and others who will benefit by seeking help and healing.
Preventing Wrongdoing: Where to get help as a whistleblower
Different countries have specific mechanisms to report wrongdoing, for example:
The UK Government has a Whistleblowing guide for employees
The European Committee on Legal Co-operation has legal tools to protect people who report or divulge information about acts and omissions in the workplace that deal with serious threats or harm to the public interest.
The U.S. National Whistleblower Center supports whistleblowers in exposing wrongdoing and helps prosecute corruption globally.
Whistleblower.org advocates for whistleblower legislation worldwide that provides strong protections and financial rewards.
In Africa, the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) defends whistleblowers and strategically litigates, advocating on behalf of whistleblowers where their reporting relates to the public interest of people in Africa.
Despite the many resources, many more cases of wrongdoing could have been stymied or addressed if more people had come forward. But reporting often comes at a high price as whistleblowers risk their career, livelihood, and sometimes their personal safety in exposing wrongdoing.
Whistleblowers have been fired, sued, arrested and incarcerated, fired threatened, and, in extreme cases, assaulted or killed. And sometimes, whistleblowing carries betrayal connotations, with those reporting seen as a “rat,” or worse. There’s a target on their backs, and they face the difficult choice of being true to themselves and their values, the very things that give their lives meaning, or facing what could be dire circumstances. It’s an intensely personal, sometimes impossible choice.
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