How The Whistleblower Act Can Affect Your Organization

| Saturday, January 5, 2013
By Faye Hunter


The news offer many examples of one or two individuals exposing the malpractices of an entire organization. Given the size of the business, you may wonder why the other workers did not take action to report such activities. Many are worried about the consequences of reporting such activities and prefer not to expose themselves to risk. This is where the whistleblower act can become significant.

This particular law tackles the protection of an employee working for a government agency, who has decided to expose fraudulent activities within the organization. These activities include misconduct and wasting funds. Once the activities are exposed, this law stipulates that the employee should be protected.

The organization should not fire the worker or blacklist him. There should be no changes in his benefits and he should not be prevented from working overtime or getting promoted, if he is being considered for a higher position. His salary should not be reduced because he exposed the malpractice. The organization shall refrain from intimidating or threatening him.

Enforcing such a policy will encourage employees to report these kind of activities. They know they will receive support and they know that it will not result in the loss of their benefits. The organization on the other hand will have a chance to fix the matter before it becomes public and results in a lot of bad publicity.

Any business will suffer from such an incident but it also presents a number of advantages. Since the practice has been exposed, then the company can take steps to prevent further occurrence. Any losses on the clients part will also be prevented. Additionally, the violators can be punished.

It can still be difficult to expose such practices since this activity can be thought of as disloyal. However, in some areas the rise in claims has been noted because of the ease with which one can submit the claim and the possible reward that may follow. The specifics of such a disclosure though can differ among organizations and not all will offer a reward for such a disclosure.

There are several things that workers typically think of when they are weighing the merits of such a decision. They want to make sure that they are not risking their source of income. They may question where there values lie if they continue to be loyal to the company. They will also consider the process of gathering evidence.

An employee will also have to cope with the various reactions in the agency. Though the management may handle the situation well, it can be hard for him to work if other workers are also questioning what he did. If the their reactions are negative, the employee may want to resign. He must consider the consequences thoroughly before he decides to go ahead with anything.

The whistleblower act may vary in specifics depending on the area you are in. The protection offered may also depend on how the information was reported and how it was exposed to the public. Many countries have adapted this regulation in order to facilitate reporting, protection, and the investigatory aspect of the event.




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