Paul Fiorelli on Snitches Get Stitches: Our Feelings About Whistleblowers [Podcast]




Compliance Perspectives show

Summary: <a href="http://complianceandethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/turteltaub-adam-200x200-150x1501.jpg"></a>By Adam Turteltaub<br><br> adam.turteltaub@corporatecompliance.org<br> We all admire whistleblowers who call out wrongdoing and help right a wrong, at least we do in the abstract.  But, as case after case has shown, whistleblowers are rarely so admired by their peers.<br> Paul Fiorelli, Professor of Legal Studies and Co-Director, Cintas Institute for Business Ethics at Xavier University, has spent a great deal of time contemplating this dilemma.  As he explains, the roots of the problem go back to childhood where we are warned not to be a tattletale. In this discussion he shares:<br> <br> * If employees don’t feel that they can safely raise issues, you’ll likely be reading about them externally instead of hearing about it internally<br> * The importance of trying to create an environment where people feel comfortable coming forward<br> * The problem of not being able to always tell the reporter what the disposition of the investigation is, which may lead to the perception that nothing was done<br> * The challenge of a trust vacuum<br> * The two biggest fears of whistleblowers: retaliation and managerial inaction<br> * The need to change the discussion so that the whistleblower isn’t seen as disloyal but as someone who is helping to prevent and correct problems<br> * The importance of checking for retaliation over the long term, not just the short<br> <br>