Whistle blowing, the term is defined by the dictionary as “The disclosure by a person, usually an employee in a government agency or private enterprise, to the public or to those in authority, of mismanagement, corruption, illegality, or some other wrongdoing.” Some would consider this as being a “Tattle tale” but in reality this could be a very good thing to encourage employees to do if circumstances warrant. There have been many whistle blowers lately in all kinds of businesses, the vaccine industry, the IRS, and even the military.
When you encourage your employee to blow the whistle on activities that may be illegal or wrong you can actually prevent major consequences for your business. By nipping the issue in the bud from the start, you can prevent the situation from getting out of control — most times.
How can you encourage your employees to report illicit activities in the workplace? It may prove challenging at first because people do not generally like to tattle on others, especially if those committing the activities are higher up than those reporting. You, as an employer can help make your employees more comfortable with this situation by showing that you support whistle blowing if situations arise that are illegal or corrupt. As the employer, you can implement a whistle blowing policy, this will make it a company rule to report any activity that is illegal or unethical.
Your employees might feel more comfortable reporting the issue to just one person in the company rather than many, so it may be best to appoint one person who will be in charge of receiving any reports of illicit activity. Your employees need to have a trust relationship with at least one person so that they feel comfortable being honest. Many whistle blowers fear backlash from their actions, which is why so many companies or employees get away with immoral, unethical and even illegal activities.
No matter how you decide to handle your whistle blower policy it is important to make sure every single employee can feel safe when sharing such vital information, be sure to keep an open door policy as well in order to encourage your employees to speak up if they should witness any activity that is not proper.
