The Impact of Whistleblowers in Business: Why Managers Should Consider Hiring Them

Author : Shannon Walker 

In the traditional sense, whistleblowing is a well-known concept for HR professionals. However, it is often accompanied by a negative connotation that reprimands those brave enough to speak up. When someone comes forward about wrongdoing within a company, whether it be fraud, harassment, waste, misconduct or other illegal activities, their willingness to speak up against adversity should be praised, not punished. As hiring managers look to recruit new candidates, a previous whistleblower should be looked at as an asset, not a liability. Here are just a few reasons why. 

Promote an Ethical Culture

At its core, whistleblowing provides stakeholders and the public transparency into a company's operations where there previously was not any. Employees are the eyes and ears of any organization and are often aware of wrongdoing as it occurs. Those who speak up about what they witness are committed to doing what is right. When they are recognized and rewarded for this, their actions encourage others to do the same, overall promoting a more ethical work culture. 

Strengthen Your Reputation

In line with ethical internal operations, the external perception of your organization will be more favorable when you position yourself as a campaigner for transparency. Hiring whistleblowers can help you do this, as employees committed to disclosing information about wrongdoing help to strengthen compliance within the organization. The more compliant your company is to laws and regulations applicable to your industry, the more trusting the public will be of your product or service, and stakeholders will be more inclined to invest in your operations long-term. 

Empower Others

When you bring on a whistleblower to the team, there may be some initial uneasy feelings among employees. However, you will quickly find that with the right anti-retaliation policy and enforcement, one person can help empower others to speak up. It is up to senior management to reprimand those who try to discourage or retaliate against whistleblowers. When done right, enforcing anti-retaliation can significantly impact the organization by solidifying core values of accountability and transparency.

Onboarding Integrity

At the human level, it takes a solid moral compass and a lot of integrity to speak up against wrongdoing in a workplace. Whether or not a case of whistleblowing ended favorably for the person can have a grave emotional impact, even when they know they did the right thing. As more companies change their outlook on whistleblowers, they are actively making room for candidates who value integrity – a trait they will likely bring to each task they complete for your organization. 

About the Author

Shannon Walker is the founder and president of WhistleBlower Security Inc. (WBS). WhistleBlower Security is a global provider of ethics reporting services, including a 24/7/365 Global Ethics Hotline and Case Management platform (IntegrityCounts), to provide organizations with an efficient and trustworthy ethics reporting process. Shannon has a B.A. from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and an M.A. from Pepperdine University in California.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.