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Whistleblowing policies protect employees who report illegal or inappropriate behavior in the workplace. It’s important to establish policies within organizations, including a process for filing a complaint and protection against threats before a complaint is filed. Laws can provide additional protection, but corporations are not required to have policies.
Whistleblowing policies are rules intended to protect employees who report to the authorities about illegal or inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Because companies engaged in illegal activity want to keep such information quiet, it is not uncommon to threaten, harass, or even terminate the position of a person who threatens to alert the authorities. Regional and federal law can be patchy on the enforcement of whistleblower protection, so it’s important to establish whistleblower policies within individual organizations.
One of the most common whistleblower policies establishes the chain of command and process for filing a complaint. In general, these policies explain whether a complaint should be verbal or written, to whom it should be directed, and at what level of company management troubleshooting should begin. If the issue is with a direct supervisor, you may need to skip a level of authority to find someone who will actually fix the issue, but in general, it’s important to follow the correct steps in the policy.
A common area covered by whistleblower policies includes behavior before filing a complaint. If a worker gains access to information about illegal activity or has knowledge of workplace violations, some people may attempt to intimidate or threaten the potential whistleblower into ignoring the situation. In addition to creating a harassment situation, this forces the informant to become an accomplice. Good whistleblower policies will not only give employees a forum to point out discrepancies, they will also protect against threats before a complaint is filed. It’s important to note that not all policies offer protection in this area, which means it’s generally best to report violations immediately, thus gaining greater protection from whistleblower laws.
After a complaint has been filed, whistleblower policies are sometimes enforced by existing laws. In the United States, the Sabarnes-Oxley Act of 2002 prohibits any retaliatory action against a whistleblower. If companies fail to protect their employees from internal harassment, the company itself could be subject to lawsuits. State laws across the country can provide additional protection. Internationally, whistleblower law is often narrowly defined and may not have protection codes.
Corporations are generally not required to have whistleblower policies. When applying for a new job, it can be vital that you familiarize yourself with existing policies and read all material carefully. Many companies believe that whistleblowers protect corporate integrity and regulations, but this is far from universal.
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