The Whistleblowing Guide

CHAPTER 3A Comparative Study of Speak‐up Arrangements in Banking, Engineering, and Healthcare Sectors

INTRODUCTION

As mentioned in Chapter 2, the most common definition of whistleblowing is ‘the disclosure by organization members (former or current) of illegal, immoral, or illegitimate practices under the control of their employers, to persons or organizations that may be able to effect action’.^1,2 The concerns whistleblowers raise range from ethically questionable behaviour to clearly illegal activity with a (significant) grey area between the two.³ As this chapter will demonstrate through examples, such behaviour usually results from or is built into organizational and social structures; it can be a part of the ‘normal’ way of life. Therefore, some whistleblowers inevitably ‘go(es) against group norms and attempt(s) to change improper group behaviour’.⁴ Even though a whistleblower acts in the greater interests of the collective, challenging a normative order—established group norms—is often met with negative reactions.⁵ An infamous example is the NHS in the UK that ‘can in effect act as a monopoly when it comes to excluding staff from employment’.⁶ Whistleblowers can suffer many personal costs including bullying at work, social exclusion, loss of employment, enduring lengthy and expensive legal battles, and detriment to mental health.

Evidence suggests that effective speak‐up arrangements can provide support systems for whistleblowers while gathering information that can be ...