Introduction
Some people may be confused when it comes to give the definition of whistleblowing, According to Weimer (2014), whistleblowing is the manifestation of an ethical concept implying spreading information of somebody, who is in danger or in a risky situation among some higher-ranked officials, so in case of being accused a person will be fined or sanctioned. The concern raised may be raised externally or internally in order to inform people about wrongdoings. There are many complaints, which can be viewed as whistleblowing. For such issues the protection by law has to be provided. These complaints are criminal offences of fraud, danger concerning people`s safety and health, cases of risks or actual damage brought to the environment or suspicions of someone to cover wrongdoings for mutual benefits. Oppositely to it, personal grievances of harassment or discrimination do not count as whistleblowing because they carry no law issues and are of no wide public interest.
Ethical Issues
Considering whistleblowing as an ethical concept, the concepts of creditability, friendship and split of corporate relationships meanness may be viewed. Any conflict based on whistleblowing may be caused because of different interests of company`s organizational, personal and societal spheres. The context passed by someone when reporting about wrongdoing can ruin trust and destroy company`s benefits behind the face of the huge business world. Creditability makes people rely on one’s words and trust. Trust is an extremely fragile and vulnerable thing, which cannot be easily renewed, so the spirit of creditability among co-workers is highly valued.
Incidents of risks or damages should be tracked and prevented if possible. There are several consequences, which one experiences after reporting about any wrongdoing. Taken this into account, there may be no issues of friendship and split of corporate relationships, as there is no place for making true friends when talking about business management. People can be punished for whistleblowing at their workplaces, but rewards that are sometimes received only increase the instances of whistleblowing (DealBook, 2016). This way, there is a great possibility to improve the position in society when whistleblowing about some risks, but if the case described is fake, one can ruin his career.
The following ethical theories can be the indicators of human abilities. The deontological ethics or deontology, during which the morality of an action is judged differently from the point of its congruence with the established rules and norms. According to this position, the act of whistleblowing can be justified by its adherence to the common professional ethics or prescribed rules meanness. While according to the divine command theory - theological voluntarism any action is defined by the fact whether this way of behavior was dictated and approved by God. Having this theory regarded, any act of whistleblowing can be considered moral and right or immoral and wrong, as far as it is viewed as a personal betrayal. According to religious prescriptions betrayal is the most horrible sin ever, and these prescriptions are highly valued by people in modern world.
Human nature is to display any manifestation of loyalty to a bureaucratic organization considering it to be composed of so many different people. Doing so, they try to find their own place in society and suit any company. Meanness can make some people change to both good and bad sides, but the eagerness to strengthen the ties between humans and different ways to reach the good position in society can bring essential personal modifications. Whistleblowers try to create symbiotic relationship with the society: people share their fears and anxiety in order to raise the level of awareness, which other people will certainly enjoy after having heard about any risks (Johnson, 2003). Human curiosity often leads them to be trapped in difficult situations. In such cases, they need help from the outside, because all their thoughts and actions are connected with their minds, which are caught with the anxiety.
Anyway, individual principles of ethics are born from the whole culture of ethics, so there is a great need to find the suitable border for necessary whistleblowing in order to save someone`s reputation or even career. The standards have to be found for excluding any purposely done issues, which are to destroy someone`s work.
Ethical Dilemma
Ethical dilemma has its roots in the cultural concerns, which confuse individuals in choosing to tell or not to tell about possible risks. Everyone falls under decision-making and decides up to himself, whether he is able to become a whistleblower or not. Whistleblowers have to encounter conflicting ethics. Dilemma is in the difficultness of choice, as the decision-making process is usually based on the facts or on the situation occurring. Any of the decision chosen affects not only the life of a whistleblower, but the lives of everyone surrounding him. The resolution for such a dilemma surely has to be found and implemented in order to avoid any possible issues of slander.
One is able to become a whistleblower because of the corruption, which may affect him a lot. Empyreal perspectives can blur the emotions and feelings of acting correctly. In such cases, people are guided by their worst character traits and are not able to fix the situation. There are some people, who will try to find a way to get rid of any possible disorder for living peacefully. Corruption is one of the three key concepts of management of business wrongdoings, so any aspect of it can change lives considerably. Corruption is worldwide spread, so there is a little chance to avoid it when founding any business. If a company is perspective and successful, it is more likely to fall under fake whistleblowing, which are not likely to be managed fast. This way, it is essential to every employee to think about the company`s position in the business world and count all pros and cons of being a part of it.
A big contribution to considering it may be the employees` motivation. If a person is motivated well, he will watch his working place and the order of all the things surrounding him in order to improve them. He will be eager to develop the company, so any fake whistleblowing is excluded from the list of possible damages to the reputation of the company. In cases, when an employee feels no motivation to work hard for the development of a company, he may have great desire of doing harm to his working place – reporting about some essential money inconsistencies or corporate fraud ("The age of the whistleblower", 2015).
Resolution 1
There are some ways to manage the issues of whistleblowing, which will change the employees’ attitude towards defamation or calumniation for individual purposes. Medland (2015) thinks of whistleblowing as about the way to clean up different industries, so the majority of changes to be brought are turned to staff. One of the most efficient ways is to make employees aware of the company`s social position: considering its purpose on the world market, the list of possible threats may be formed in order to lessen the opportunity to be stuck in any disorder. Moreover, the great motivation should be provided to all the workers. Having no reason to change their work place, they are less likely to report about some risks or damages. Instead, they will try to fix everything from the inside, attracting no special attention. Advocacy organizations of good reputation have to be found, and the partnership has to be adjusted in order to assure different methods of managing any extra situation of whistleblowing.
This way, each company has to provide regular staff examination for clarifying the standards of perspective collaboration. Every worker should be aware of the true order of things that are regularized by the whole company. The correct selection of staff guarantees each company to have little ethical issues of company`s functioning. Staff members have to be well-motivated and knowledgeable of the business state.
Resolution 2
Another resolution for managing whistleblowing is to find the channels for information disclosure (Burton, 2016). These channels are to force whistleblowers to submit law by means of corporate management, advocacy groups or public government agencies, which provide law arrangement. The media channel should also be controlled by company representatives.
Following Lewis (2001), digital technologies and the establishment of informational field develop worldwide within specifications of geopolitics. The information spreads throughout countries and continents, so it is necessary to have connections with mass media in order to monitor corporate whistleblowing and reasons for it. Different issues of information disclosure have to be thoroughly checked and regularized in case of necessity. Flexible laws for spreading information should be taken into account and viewed as the methods to distribute indispensable information to masses.
Resolution Choice
Considering different aspects and reasons for whistleblowing it will be better to implement combined resolution methods. Each company has to watch its staff and means of information disclosure in order to control the social situation and issues of rights oppression or manifestation of corporate fraud. For example, various advocacy organizations can provide the companies with necessary support, connections, researches and advic, when the proper staff selection will assure the authorities in high productiveness of their company. Flexible laws for spreading information should be analyzed before viewing them as the methods to distribute indispensable information to the masses. The protection of whistleblowers should be improved because of the risk for them to be punished by foes, whose aims are to cover up the guilty people. Whistleblowing has a great importance, as the legal limits that have to be placed on mass surveillance, should be worldwide respected, so the authorities have to react to the issues of corporate whistleblowing. They have to analyze every case and bring changes to the system of company`s management.
Conclusion
In conclusion, one is able to analyze different companies on different risks or possible damages, but not all of the people are able to become whistleblowers, as it requires great responsibility and the readiness to answer for the accusations. Of course, the program of whistleblowers protection operates well, but it is essential to realize the burden carried and find the place, where to implement the information found. The ethical issues and dilemmas have to be considered while decision making about the necessity to become a whistleblower. Different cultural and corporate aspects must be viewed and taken into account during the information gathering. Only having thought of the ethical concepts like credibility, friendship and split of corporate relationships and meanness one is able to decide up to himself, whether it worth doing to get some benefits or not.
References
Johnson, R. (2003). Whistleblowing. Boulder: L. Rienner Publishers.
Weimer, T. (2014). Whistleblowing. Intensiv, 22(05), 254-255. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1389576
Lewis, D. (2001). Whistleblowing at work. London: Athlone.
Burton, L. (2016). What J.P. Morgan’s ‘Worst Nightmare’ Thinks About Whistleblowing. WSJ. Retrieved 9 June 2016, from http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2015/02/11/what-j-p-morgans-worst-nightmare-thinks-about-whistleblowing/
Medland, D. (2015). A Consumer’s Tool Kit: From “Whistleblowing” To Class Action. Forbes. Retrieved 9 June 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/site/dinamedland/2015/10/10/a-consumers-tool-kit-from-whistleblowing-to-class-action/
The age of the whistleblower. (2015). The Economist. Retrieved 9 June 2016, from http://www.economist.com/news/business/21679455-life-getting-better-those-who-expose-wrongdoing-companies-continue-fight
DealBook,. (2016). Big Rewards Could Trigger More Whistle-Blowing. NewYorkTimes. Retrieved 11 June 2016, from http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/08/09/big-rewards-could-trigger-more-whistleblowing/?_r=0
