Who can whistleblower?

Description: 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 organisation or in a specific department. A whistleblower could be an employee, contractor, or a supplier who becomes aware of any illegal activities.

What is the role of a whistleblower?

A whistleblower can be any person who reports suspicions of bribery of foreign public officials to law enforcement authorities, an employee who reports internally to the company, or third persons who report to law enforcement or the media. Whistleblowers who report are sometimes also involved in the offence.

What is a whistleblower and how are they protected?

Whistleblowers are protected from retaliation for disclosing information that the employee or applicant reasonably believes provides evidence of a violation of any law, rule, regulation, gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.

Is whistleblowing an ethical practice?

Whistle-blowing always involves an actual or at least declared intention to prevent something bad that would otherwise occur. It always involves information that would not ordinarily be revealed. Looking at the conclusions and certain criteria given by many ethicists, whistle-blowing is an ethical action.

Is whistle-blowing illegal?

In summary, whistleblowing can often be illegal if the exposed information threatens national security. For example, leaking unauthorized government information could leave the military or other federal employees vulnerable.

Who is not covered by whistleblowing legislation?

There is no ‘Whistleblowing Act’ in the UK, instead, there is the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. Workers specifically excluded are members of the armed forces, intelligence officers, volunteers, and those who are genuinely self-employed.

What is the process of whistleblowing in health and social care?

Whistleblowing is the process whereby an employee raises a concern about malpractice, wrongdoing, risk, or illegal proceedings, which harms or creates a risk of harm to the people who use the service, employees, or the wider community.

Is whistle-blowing ethical?

Whistle-blowing brings two moral values, fairness and loyalty, into conflict. A virtuous whistle-blower acts in an ethical manner if she truly believes a responsibility exists to protect the public interest. Such a person is willing to accept the consequences of her actions. i.e., she is accountable for her actions.

Can you be fired for whistleblowing?

No. Under the laws of most states, it is illegal for an employer to retaliate against a whistleblower who has reported, or attempted to report, the illegal conduct of the employer. In a qui tam case, the whistleblower reports fraud to the government and claims a share of the recovery. …

What qualifies as a protected disclosure?

A protected disclosure is a qualifying disclosure under the Employment Rights Act 1996 that is made by a worker that they reasonably believe shows serious wrongdoing within the workplace. This will typically relate to some form of dangerous or illegal activity that the person has witnessed at work.

Is whistleblowing moral?

Most ethicists agree whistleblowing is an ethical action. According to the “standard theory” on whistleblowing, whistleblowing is morally required when it is required at all; people have a moral obligation to prevent serious harm to others if they can do so with little costs to themselves.