SRI RAMAKRISHNA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, COIMBATORE-10

(An Autonomous Institution)

(Approved by AICTE, New Delhi and permanently Affiliated to Anna University,
Chennai)

WHISTLE-BLOWING

Ms.R.Gayathri,
Assistant Professor (Sr. Gr.)/ECE
Whistle-blowing
 DEFINITION
 Whistle-blowing is the act of telling the authorities or the

public that the organization you are working for is doing

something immoral or illegal. (OR)

 When a former or the existing employee of the organization

raise his voice against the unethical activities being carried

out within the organization is called as whistle blowing and

the person who raise his voice is called as a whistle blower.

 CONTINUE…
 The misconduct can be in the form of fraud, corruption,
violation of company rules and policies, all done to impose
a threat to public interest. The whistle blowing is done to
safeguard the interest of the society and the general public
for whom the organization is functioning.
 The companies should motivate their employees to raise an
alarm in case they find any violation of rules and
procedures and do intimate about any possible harm to the
interest of the organization and the society.
 whistleblower
 A whistleblower is a person who comes forward and shares his/her
knowledge on any wrongdoing which he/she thinks is happening in the
whole organization or in a specific department to the public or some higher
authority about any wrongdoing, which could be in the form of fraud,
corruption, etc. 
 A whistleblower could be an employee, of a company, or a government
agency, contractor, or a supplier who becomes aware of any illegal

activities. 
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Most often, the employees fear to raise a voice against the
illegal activity being carried out in the organization because of
following reasons:
 Threat to life
 Lost jobs and careers
 Lost friendships
 Resentment among workers
 Breach of trust and loyalty
Characteristics of a Whistleblower

 Altruistically Motivated
 Utilitarian
 Uninterested in Altering Their Behavior
 Allows Own Attitudes and Beliefs to Guide Them
 Often are Well Educated and Holds Professional
Positions
 Conditions for Whistle-blowing
 Is the situation of sufficient moral importance to justify whistle-

blowing?

How serious is the potential harm compared to the possible benefits? To what

extent is the harm a predictable and direct result of the protested activity?

How imminent is the harm?

 Do you have all the facts and have you properly understood their

significance?

Whistle-blowers must support allegations with adequate evidence and not

draw conclusions about matters beyond their expertise.

 CONTINUE…
 What is the best way to blow the whistle?

To whom should the information be revealed? How much information should be

revealed? Blowing the whistle in a responsible

 What is my responsibility in view of my role within the

organization?

An employee’s position in the organization may increase or decrease an

obligation to blow the whistle.

 What are the chances for success?

An employee should only blow the whistle when there is a reasonable chance to

achieve some public good.

Complaints that count as
whistleblowing
 a criminal offence, eg fraud
 someone’s health and safety is in danger
 risk or actual damage to the environment
 a miscarriage of justice
 the company is breaking the law, eg doesn’t have the right
insurance
 you believe someone is covering up wrong doing
Types
 Internal Whistle Blowing: 
 occurs when the information is conveyed to someone within the
organization
 An employee informs about the misconduct to his officers or
seniors holding positions such as head human resource or CEO in
the same organization.
 If whistleblowing is done internally, it often does not become
visible. If the addressed organization reacts properly and takes
corrective action.
 External Whistle Blowing: 
 occurs when the information is passed outside the
organization such as the media, higher government
officials, or police. 
 Here, the employee informs about the misconduct to any
third person who is not a member of an organization, such
as a lawyer or any other legal body.
OPEN Whistle Blowing: 
 Also known as acknowledged whistle blowing.
 Occurs when the persons openly reveal their
identity as they convey the information.
ANONYMOUS Whistle Blowing: 
 Occurs when the person who is blowing the
whistle refuses to reveal his name when making
allegations.
 PREVENTING WHISTLE-
BLOWING
In order to solve the whistle blowing problem within a
company, anyone of the four methods can be used.
 The company should create a strong ethics culture. There
should be clear commitment to ethical behavior from both
employers and employees.
 The organization should remove rigid channels of
communication. Instead they should encourage free and open
communication system within organization.
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 The companies can create an ethics review committee with
real freedom to investigate complaints and make
independent recommendations to top management.
 There should be willingness on the part of management to
admit mistakes, if necessary. This attitude will set an
atmosphere for employees’ ethical behavior.
 How does whistleblowing work?
Typically, whistleblowing is a process of five stages:
 Step 1: Recognition Event seen as risk or possible
wrongdoing
 Step 2: Assessment Choosing between “neglect”, “exit,”
and “voice”
 Step3: Action Blowing the whistle
(recipient/content/form)
CONTINUE…

 Step 4: Reactions by the addressee and/or the

organization and its members
 Step 5: Evaluation of reaction as success or
failure (back to step 3)
Thank you