How to Whistleblow... Quietly

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  bjwtaylor10/27/08 Report as spam
  1

  RE: How to Whistleblow... Quietly

  Yes, unethical behavior abounds. And rarely does anyone in executive management want anything done about it. In one case, I went first to my management with no results but a shrug and then the CID in a government organization to report blatent and wide-spread government fraud in contracting on a very large military post. The colonel who was Dir. of Engineering was very interested and helped catch the bad guys. However, the colonel who was Comptroller and my immediate superior jumbed me and threatened me for making accusations I couldn't prove *which I could and did prove). He told me he would nail my hide to the wall if I didn't show up. (I didn't show up, but he didn't nail anything anywhere that I am aware of. He just hated me forever.) I am quite sure this Comptroller was not a crook, nor was he a friend of the civilians putting fraud over on the Army, but he didn't like "making waves" and was afraid a friend of his would be accused falsely. Eventually, there was a big investigation and several civilians were convicted of defrauding the government, but their sentences were suspended because of first offenses (and probably pulling strings).
  
  In another case, I reported that I could easily eliminate at least $10,000,000 a year in stolen/"lost" IT equipment in one of the biggest banks in the country if they would only enable me to implement a very simply tracking and sign-for process that would benefit both admin and branches world-wide. They shrugged and asked me why bother with only $10,000,000. It was apparent that I was raising an issue they didn't want raised. I later learned that they were fully aware that a previous person in my position had stolen $3 to $4,000,000 himself a year before being caught. I was told they didn't prosecute him because of the bad publicity it would have brought the bank. (That bank recently went belly up. Wonder why?)
  
  In another case, when I worked for an IT consulting firm, they stayed in $350 a night hotel rooms (individual rooms, no roommates), covered tables at expensive restaurants with very expensive bottles of wine, furnished male members of the team with loaded luxury SUVs (the very few women took taxis), hired limos at the drop of a hat, flew first class, entertained themselves extensively - and then first passed cost on to customers and later used the expense, i.e. those same costs (in total numbers, not 0documented by items, of course) as justification for raising the rates on the those customers. I reported it to top exec mgt. They laughed and went out to dinner at an expensive restaurant and poured some more wine. But they were polite enough to invite me. That company went belly up, too. Wonder why.

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  ingoodcompany10/27/08 Report as spam
  2

  No Happily Ever After....

  May I respectfully disagree. The bottom line for those in possession of ethics and morals is this:
  
  At the moment you are asked to commit an illegal or unethical act by a superior officer, your career at that organization is over, whether you agree to commit the act or not.
  
  1. If you follow your heart and mind, deciding to question the action, no matter how tactfully or obsequiously, you have demonstrated to your superior office a degree of insubordination and resistance to authority. From that point forward, your unwillingness to "take a bullet for the company" will make you an unsuitable employee, and a target.
  
  2. If you cave under pressure and abandon the dictates of your own conscience, no matter how little you squirm, you demonstrate a fundamental weakness in your inability to commit to a course of action and hold to it. You will be viewed as an unsuitable employee and liability to the team from that moment forward.
  
  So for those who cannot unflinchingly stomach the commission of moral, ethical or even legal breaches without losing a moment's sleep, the handwriting is on the wall the moment the the ethical baton is passed to you and you so much as pause to look at it. And, yes, I said "breaches", plural. The first one will not be the last.
  
  There is no such thing as "quiet whistleblowing". You either blow it, or you don't. Either way, your career as an ethically-driven employee in that organization has come to an end at the moment after the proposition, and your exit strategy must begin forming in your mind before you so much as stand up to leave the crepuscular room and tenebrious presence of your tempter. When the door closes behind you, it will be the sound of your new future beginning.
  
  The path of the whistleblower is not for the faint of heart, nor for those who have less than four of five years of salary in the passbook savings account, plus lawyers fees. The organization is obligated to do everything it can to defend itself against you, even if you were in the right.
  
  Even if you choose to NOT blow the whistle, you will need to steel yourself for what must come next. You will be viewed and portrayed by your superior officer and henchmen as a dormant virus waiting to become a full blown infection. The consequence of remaining within the organization is the inevitable attack of antibodies, retaliation, personal affronts, sabotage of work, mobbing/bullying and conspiratorial termination at the earliest possible moment.
  
  Make no mistake. There is no innocent reason for approaching anyone to commit any unethical or illegal act. There is intent, and it is never done with the intent of making you a candidate for promotion. I do not recommend a response that in any way attempts to pacify or placate the perpetrator.
  
  I would recommend first asking for clarity with a high level of directness whether the superior officer is aware of the implications and ramifications of what they are asking. No matter their response, I then recommend a clear and unambiguous "I'll get back to you.", without further editorial comment. Immediately leave the room, listen to the sound of your new future beginning, remove all personal belongings from your office, go home and call your lawyer immediately.

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine10/28/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: How to Whistleblow... Quietly

  QUOTE from ingoodcompany: The bottom line for those in possession of ethics and morals
  
  I think you're being a little dogmatic here. There are gray areas of ethicality, and varying levels of seriousness when it comes to legality.
  
  
  
  Ethics. I worked for a marketing group that came up with a way to measure revenue that completely distorted how the company viewed its business. In my opinion, it was fraudulent, but since all top management needed to was to drill down a bit, it's not clear whether anybody was really fooling anybody. It was just stupidity combined with self-interest, and could have been changed with some quiet internal whistle blowing.
  
  
  
  Legality. If you drive 1 mile over the speed limit, you are breaking the law. If you download a song "free" over the Internet, you're breaking the law. If a company is, for example, using bootlegged software, it's not clear to me whether that illegal act justifies quitting the company, particularly if a "word to the wise" in top management fixes the problem.

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  ingoodcompany10/28/08 Report as spam
  4

  No Happy Ending....

  I don't think so. Sure, ethics can be gray. But not at genuine whistleblowiing levels. There's nothing at all gray about that level of ethical breach. When discussing 'whistleblower' level ethical breaches, we're not talking about taking home a company pen by accident, or using the company car to stop at the grocery store on the way home from a legitimate business call.
  
  That "word to the wise in top management" to which you refer may stop the breach from happening or continuing, but it will not alter the negative impact on the reporting employee's career in that firm.
  
  Though my "door closing" metaphor was not to be taken as meaning immediate resignation, it means mentally cleaning out the desk. (Though I am serious about getting all personal belongings, records and information out of the building at that moment), emphasizing the need to start the exit strategy immediately. I am of the opinion that one who refuses to commit an ethical breach at the request of a superior officer is immediately rendered damaged goods, should mentally resign at that point, and begin looking for another job/career immediately. The act of a superior officer even suggesting a serious legal or ethical breach to a subordinate (or other member of their team) is a hostile act of aggression and ill will. It cannot be repaired, even if the breach never happens. The wishy-washy psycho-babble approach suggested in that video will do nothing but make the targeted subordinate appear to be weak-willed and a potential fall-guy if they hang around long enough.
  
  Anyone approached by a superior officer with a serious unethical proposition has a huge problem on their hands, and a lily-livered, whining and squirming response in lieu of an immediate unequivocal decisive and positive reaction will only serve to make the employee's eventual demise all the more painful and torturous.
  
  As for the culture of fraudulent, "completely distorted" misrepresentation of financial position you described, we've seen what damage that has done. If those misrepresentations are taken at their face value and will likely lead to poor management decisions, and in turn to stakeholder and stockholder losses,
  then you're talking about more than just stupidity and self-interest. You're describing the deliberate misleading of investors, which is illegal. (Enron, MCI, subPrimes, etc.) That's a bit different than driving one mile over the speed limit.
  
  I'm not sure why you're muddying the waters on what is whistleblowing and what is not. Anyone reading these posts who is has the dilemma, or sees the potential for such, should research what constitutes whistleblower level reporting (internal or external), the process and the consequences. The seriousness of it cannot be overstated. A serious response to it is something you must be prepared for in advance. It must be swift and forceful, knowing that it is your career and reputation that is on the line when it happens. Any other attitude toward it makes the employee complicit in their own demise, and leaves their fate in the hands of those who mean them no good.

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  Mediation Works Inc10/29/08 Report as spam
  5

  RE: How to Whistleblow... Quietly

  Addressing Unethical Behavior through an Ombudsman
  
  One solution that hasn't been surfaced is the use of an Ombudsman within the workplace. An Ombudsman is a designated problems solver and confidential resource that helps employees raise and resolve work-related issues. The term ???Ombudsman??? (pronounced ???ahm???buhds-man???) comes from a Swedish term meaning ???a person who has an ear to the people???. An Ombudsman is an independent, neutral, confidential and informal resource for employees. The Ombuds supplements but does not replace a company's formal administrative channels such as HR and grievance boards. Many companies such as Coca-Cola Enterprises, AMEX, Shell and Deloitte have an ombudsman who can help employees make informed decisions about dealing with ethical challenges, without revealing the employee's identity.

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  legaltina11/17/08 Report as spam
  6

  This article, and the responses are very disturbing...

  As the Director of Corporate Compliance in my company, I constantly let my employees know that reporting their concerns over ethical and legal violations are not only welcome...they are required. I am the person whose neck will be on the "chopping block" when these practices are reported, so I need to know about them immediately, put together a program for remedying the situation, and preventing further abuses/issues.
  
  I started "in the trenches" and have worked for bosses who looked the other way when fraud and unethical behavior was going on right under their nose. It is a horrible work environment, and one that I will not tolerate in my company. My CEO and Board of Directors knew my attitude regarding fraud and abuse when they hired me...and have supported me completely in handling these cases.
  
  At NO TIME will I ever tolerate retaliation of a manager to an employee who calls our hotline or reports a violation to my office. As a matter of fact, in my opinion, an employee who is not afraid to stand up for his/her values and moral and ethical practice is someone I want to keep, and promote, in my company. Conversely, the employee who knowingly hides fraud and abuse, or commits it, will find that I will quickly ensure that our company "frees up their future"...
  
  Period.

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  epicuros01/09/09 Report as spam
  7

  RE: How to Whistleblow... Quietly

  legaltina,
  Your words are inspiring and give hope.. I was
  the exec director for a company in Spain, a
  company who provided insurance and medical
  services to the government. The company was
  not doing well and they hired me to turn it
  around, I did so, increasing revenues 60% in 18
  months, and reducing cost by 9% over the same
  period. Then I discovered that the president
  and his wife were stealing 1 million a year
  from public hospitals. To cut a long story
  short I resigned and informed the authorities.
  It has taken nearly 18 months for action to be
  taken, and it is still not clear what will
  happen, however, during this time in order I
  tried to remain in Spain but I have had my
  employment possibilities blocked. I am now
  having to leave Spain in an attempt to return
  to my former position (I used to be exec of a
  US multinational in Asia). This has been a
  sickening experience for me, but I still think
  it was the right thing to do, but it comes at a
  price.