by Sammy Stein

Created on: September 18, 2009

Being a 'whistle blower' sounds like a bad thing but there are times when you have to decide where your morals and heart lie. Can you allow a situation which is detrimental to continue or do you speak up?

It largely depends on what the thing you are whistle blowing about is. If it is the fact that Denise slips 3 paper clips into her purse every friday and uses them to pin notes on her reminder board, then you would probably be advised to speak to her and keep it quiet but if you can see malpractice which is detrimental to you, your colleagues or the company's well-being, then, in all good fasith, you should blow that whistle loud and clear.

Sometimes, you do not have to whistle blow - a short sharp peep in the form of a chat with anyone involved, raising issues at a meeting or airing your views and asking for feed back is enough to put pay to any blatently inappropriate or dishonest behaviour. Sometimes, practices become acceptable when they should not (such as everyone making private calls at the company's expense) and a reminder is all that is needed to make it clear this affects profits and the business's life but sometimes things like bullying or harassment or notgiving worker's rights which become acceptable simpy because they have gone on for a long time and then continue even after warnings and other courses have been taken with no solution, the only thing to do is blow that whistle.

However, be prepared. Whistle blowing will inevitably put someone or several people at the mercy of tribunals, discipline committees and the embarasment of their colleagues, bosses (or wives in some cases). So watch your back. Make sure you follow company procedure, that you keep within your legal limits and that you can protect your own position. Occasionally, whistle blowers have had to leave their jobs due to back lash from bosses or colleagues and you must decide if this is a possibility and whether you could take it.

Is it up to you? Sometimes, passing information on is enough and you do not have to 'whistle blow' but put the matter into the right department's hands but ultimately, colleagues will know the information came from you and you will have to face a reckoning. It can be more difficult when the firm is small or family owned as the route for complaint isoften small and you may be complaining against the person who did the wrong in the first place in which case you have to whistle blow outside of the firm - to the press, radio or union.

Whistle blowers in nursing homes, schools, hospitals and doctors' practices as well as in legal firms have had to face investigations themselves because whistle blowing is still seen as the resort of the disgruntled and whistle blowers can sometimes be made to feel they are the ones to blame, or have some grudge themselves agains ttheir employer..

Ultimately, whether you blow the whistle is up to you and your conscience but if you do whistle blow, be sure of your facts, that you can take any back lash and that you have support. If you have done the right thing it will mean you feel better and surprisingly, many whistle blowers find after the initial backlash that they are respected and their colleagues actually admire them.

Even the term 'whistle blower' sounds derogatory but if you feel strongly enough, go ahead and toot your whistle as loud as you can!

Learn more about this author, Sammy Stein.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.