HM-221 SOCIAL AND ETHICAL

ASPECTS IN ENGINEERING

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WHISTLE BLOWING
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“Our lives begin to end the day we become

silent about things that matter."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
 What is whistle blowing?
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Whistle blowing in its most general form involves

calling(public)attention to wrong doing, typically in order
to avert harm. Whistle blowing is an attempt by a
member or former member of an organization to disclose
wrong doing in or by the organization.
 Whistleblower
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 A whistleblower is an employee, former employee, or

member of an organization, especially a business or
government agency, who reports misconduct to people or
entities that have the power and presumed willingness to
take corrective action.

 One who reveals wrong-doing within an organization to

the public or to those in positions of authority.
 Whistleblower
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 One who discloses information about misconduct in their

workplace that they feel violates the law or endangers the
welfare of others.

 One who speaks out, typically to expose corruption or

dangers to the public or environment.
 Purposes
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 To draw attention to unethical, inappropriate conduct which

has or may have detrimental effects either for the institution
or for those affected by its functions.

 It extends to situations where an individual believes that an

activity is harmful while others involved are not aware of it
or reject the perception that is involved.
 Types of whistle blowing
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i. Internal: it is blowing the whistle inside the organization.

For example designated officer, workers or bosses in the
same organization.

ii. External: blowing the whistle to law enforcement

agencies or to teams worried with the matters for
example Lawyers, Mass media, law enforcement.
 On what should one blow the whistle?
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 On what should one blow the whistle?
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 Illegal or unlawful
 On what should one blow the whistle?
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 Unprocedural conduct
 On what should one blow the whistle?
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 Unethical conduct.
• Mistreatment
• Discrimination
• Mental Or Sexual Abuse
 Advantages
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I. May avoid public disclosure by allowing the

misconduct to be solved internally
II. Can help insure that reports are investigated, action
taken, and retaliation prevented
III. Can identify problems early before they escalate
IV. Consistent with an ethical corporate climate
 Disadvantages
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I. Diminishes Trust in the Workplace

II. Can Negatively Affect Your Career

III. Can Destroy the Company

IV. Risk to Personal Safety

 What to think about
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i. Work place test:

• “I am going to be in this industry for along time. Will
this damage my reputation with my boss, colleagues,
future customers or employers?”
ii. The personal responsibility test:
• Weigh personal obligation to family and etc. that can
only be met if you have an income.
• “Will harm avoided by greater than harm incurred?”
 Focal Areas for a person before whistle
Blowing?
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1. Is the situation of sufficient moral importance to justify whistle-

blowing?
2. Do you have all the facts and do you properly understand their
significance?
3. Have all internal channels and steps short of whistle-blowing been
exhausted?
4. What is the best way to blow the whistle?
5. What is my responsibility in view of my role within the organization?
6. What are the chances for success?
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 Thought Process Of a Whistleblower
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 How to blow whistle
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i. Do it anonymously
let the evidence speak for itself and protect yourself if
possible
ii. Do it in a group
charges have more weight and won’t seem like a
personal dispute.
iii. Present just the evidence
leave interpretation of facts to others.
iv. Work through internal channels
start with your immediate supervisor or follow the
standard reporting procedure
v. Work through external channels
go public (biggest risk)
 Stages of a Whistle Blowing Incident
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• Stage one – Is there a potential whistle blowing scenario ?

• Stage two – Seriousness test
• Stage three – Reality check
• Stage four – Becoming aware of the big picture
• Stage five – Forcing management recognition of the
problem
• Stage six – Taking the problem to upper management
• Stage seven – Going outside the organization
• Stage eight – Living with the results
 Common Mistakes
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i. Trusting too much

ii. Not having enough evidence
iii. Using the wrong style
iv. Not waiting for the right opportunity
v. Not building support
vi. Playing the opponent’s game
vii. Not knowing when to stop
 Whistle blowing - the missing links
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i. Ineffective mechanism
ii. Failure to Impart Proper confidence
iii. Lack of Independent confidence to do in a right way
iv. Non maintainability of whistle blower confidentiality
v. Ineffective Security of whistle blower
vi. Inappropriate punishment
vii. The Fear of Isolation/Social pressure
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Ethical dilemmas face by a whistle blower

 The dilemma
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 How to Dissolve The Dilemma?
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i. Analyse the consequences

ii. Justify and analyse your action
iii. Make the decision
 Effects of Whistle-Blowing
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i. Forced to leave organization/demotion

ii. Credibility ruined
iii. Family, health, and/or life in jeopardy
iv. Outrage and divisiveness of people directly or indirectly
involved
v. Physical or psychological isolation
vi. Organization experiences loss of money, compensation,
productivity, and positive reputations.
vii. Incarceration, the state of being confined in prison
 Live With The Results
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i. Make yourself prepared.

ii. Think early to deal with the changed
circumstances.
iii. Keep on going the positive thinking.
iv. Take care of your self.
 Why Whistle Blowing is Important?
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“Too see wrong and not to expose it ,is to become a silent

partner to its continuance”.
-Dr. John Raymond Baker
 How to encourage Whistle Blowing
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i. Management addressing to organization to provide

confidence
ii. Ensuring confidentiality of whistle blower by providing
anonymous telephone facility for communication or e-mail
ID.
iii. Providing security of the whistle blower.
iv. Management positive participation.
 Conclusion
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 A whistle blowing incident is probably the most emotionally difficult

thing you can experience as a professional.

 Not every incident that should result in whistle blowing does,

sometimes the whistle is “swallowed” rather than blown.

 In some cases, there are federal and state laws meant to provide
protection for the whistle blowers.

 If you find yourself in a possible whistle-blowing incident, you should

exhaust all internal alternatives for addressing the problem and
accumulate all documentation possible. If blowing the whistle
becomes the only alternative, then you should anticipate a job change
and you should get good legal representation.
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Thank you

Questions
H M Osaid