Loading...
Blowing the Whistle on Workplace Misconduct
Ethics Resource Center
Ethics Resource Center
Author(s)
Author(s) (Additional)
Illustrator(s)
Producer(s)
Contributor(s)
Contributor(s) (Other)
Editor(s)
Advisor(s)
Contact(s)
Data Collector(s)
Keywords
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Online Access
Abstract
"Like it or not, from time to time, people do the wrong thing. Some mistakes are unintentional; simple human errors that happen despite our best efforts to do the right thing. Other times, misconduct is deliberate; whether out of anger, frustration, or a desire to further their own self-interest, individuals will break the rules for any number of reasons. Depending on which rules are broken and who violates them, misconduct can hurt others – especially when it happens in a large business or other organization in which many people have a stake. Given the potential of law breaking and other misconduct to destroy companies and the people who work for them, the development of ethical cultures that encourage people to act with integrity should be a high priority for both public and private institutions. With that in mind, the Ethics Resource Center is continuously working to understand workplace behavior, to identify how employees feel about the places they work, what factors affect their conduct, how they react when they see others break the rules, and what motivates them to take action. Our research is a constant work in progress; every day we learn more. The information we gather evolves continuously as circumstances change, environments transform, and employees revisit their attitudes and behavior. Still, there is much that we know. For example, employees are more likely to blow the whistle on bad behavior when they feel good about their company and believe management has a strong commitment to ethical conduct. We also know that attitudes change depending on how management behaves, and also in response to external factors. Data collected by the ERC over the years show that conduct improves, at least for a time, after periods of public scandal and other difficulties — and seems to fall during boom times. Our most recent National Business Ethics Survey, for example, shows that response to misconduct was at its weakest in 2005 when the economy was strong, but strengthened after the recent recession. Employees surveyed in 2009 report that the amount of misconduct is down and company cultures are stronger. As part of our commitment to advance public dialogue and assist the enforcement community, including company management and boards, government enforcement agencies, and ethics & compliance (E&C) officers, the following pages share some of what we’ve learned. ___________________________________ 1. “Ethics in the Recession,” 2009 National Business Ethics Survey, p. 9,The Ethics Resource Center, http://ethics.org/nbes Blowing the Whistle on Workplace Misconduct ©2010 Ethics Resource Center Page 2 Corporate executives know that one of the best ways to pinpoint problems in their organization is to listen to whistleblowers. Experience shows there are more whistleblowers than many might expect. In 2009, more than six out of ten employees said they reported workplace misconduct when they saw it. Employees, the people who know best the work environment, the attitudes of their peers, whether management means what it says about ethics, and whether people are breaking the rules, tell the ERC they will blow the whistle on bosses as well as co-workers. More than three-quarters surveyed by the ERC say they would not “look the other way” if their employer did something questionable."(pg 1-2)
Note(s)
Topic
Type
Preprint
Date
2010-12
Identifier
ISBN
DOI
Copyright/License
With permission of the license/copyright holder