The decision to expose wrongdoing in the workplace is not an easy one to make. Whistleblowers can change the world for the better, but blowing the whistle on bad behaviour can also destroy your career for good. We look here at how to do it without risking everything.
Get legal help
The top tip from The National Whistleblower Center is “learn about your rights”. Especially in the case of serious wrongdoing, get professional advice from someone outside your company, ideally a lawyer with expert knowledge of your industry and location.
Consider all the options
Look at less risky options first, Jon Tycko, a lawyer at the US firm Tycko and Zavareei, told Lifehacker. If possible, try to solve the problem internally, he says: “Ask yourself: is there some avenue within the company for me to bring this wrongdoing to the attention of higher-ups?”
Reduce the risks
Protect yourself and your family from repercussions and retaliation by remaining anonymous, says Stephen Kohn, a lawyer and author of The New Whistleblower’s Handbook. Many companies have special hotlines that can protect your identity. And there are also laws in many countries to protect your anonymity. Whatever you do, don’t break any laws, writes Kohn in his book. You don’t want to go to jail — or get fired.
Get emotional support
Whatever option you take, find someone who can give you emotional support. “When you are a whistleblower, you feel incredibly alone,” warns Helen Evans in an interview with Protect, a UK organization that supports whistleblowers. In 2018, Evans helped expose systemic sexual abuse across Oxfam, a UK charity that provides aid in crisis zones. She describes her decision to speak up as the hardest of her life.
Document everything
Be absolutely clear about what you believe is wrongdoing. “Focus on the who, what, where and when,” advises Protect on its website. It’s also important to document what happens after you’ve spoken up. Keep a diary.
Build a team
Does anyone else share your concerns? Will they also speak up? “Find others who agree with your assessment and report together,” says Sherron Watkins, the executive who helped uncover fraud at Enron, the US energy trading company that collapsed in 2001. “There is strength in numbers,” she told MarketWatch.