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Employee attitudes toward whistleblowing: Management and public policy implications

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Abstract

Managers of organizations should be aware of the attitudes of employees concerning whistleblowing. Employee views should affect how employers choose to respond to whistleblowers through the evolving law of wrongful discharge.

This article reports on a survey of employee attitudes toward the legal protection of whistleblowers and presents an analysis of the results of that survey.

Among the most significant findings of the survey are:

  1. (1)

    Recognition by employees of a hierarchy of proper whistleblowing outlets: internal first, law enforcement agencies second, and news media last.

  2. (2)

    Less employee support for legal protection for whistleblowers who report unethical activities than for those who report illegal conduct.

  3. (3)

    Very strong overall employee support for legal protection of whistleblowers, even among managerial and supervisory employees.

  4. (4)

    A belief among employees that a fear of being fired deters whistleblowing.

These findings have important implications for both management and public policy. Organizations that want to encourage whistleblowing clearly must protect whistleblowers from retaliation, while organizations that do not encourage whistleblowing may want to reconsider that policy. The survey results also have implications in the handling of individual whistleblowers.

From a public policy perspective, the survey results provide support for increasing the legal protection of whistleblowers. On the other hand, any such increase in whistleblower protection should considerr the importance of employee loyalty and managerial discretion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, Syracuse University, 13244-2130, Syracuse, NY, USA

    Elletta Sangrey Callahan & John W. Collins

Authors
  1. Elletta Sangrey Callahan
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  2. John W. Collins
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Additional information

John Collins is a Professor of Law and Public Policy in the School of Management at Syracuse University. He received an A.B. and a J.D. He has published in such journals as theAmerican Business Law Journal, Business and Society Review andBusiness Horizons. His research interests include business ethics and the role of business in society.

Elletta Sangrey Callahan is an Assistant Professor of Law and Public Policy in the School of Management at Syracuse University. She received a B.A. and a J.D. Her work has been published in theAmerican Business Law Journal and theJournal of Contemporary Law, among other publications. Her research interests are in the areas of whistleblowing and employment law.

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Callahan, E.S., Collins, J.W. Employee attitudes toward whistleblowing: Management and public policy implications. J Bus Ethics 11, 939–948 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00871960

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00871960

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