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A whistleblower is one who voices concerns about the wrongdoing of a company or organization. Fraud, theft and the violation of rules or regulations are reasons that someone may come forward as a whistleblower.
History
The term "whistleblower" originally came from England, where police officers would blow their whistles when they witnessed a crime. Whistleblowers were looked down on in the past; however, in recent years the public outcry against corporate corruption has changed this.
Internal
Employees that report misconduct to a supervisor are considered internal whistleblowers. In the past, these employees may have faced mistreatment and termination.
External
External whistleblowers report their concerns to law enforcement or watchdog agencies, resulting in bad publicity and legal problems for the company. Companies now allow employees to come forward anonymously, which encourages internal handling of the situation.
Retaliation
Whistleblowers have often faced consequences even beyond the workplace, including being ostracized and facing legal action. Laws and regulations now protect whistleblowers.
Laws
Designed to hold corporations accountable regarding financial reporting, the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act also includes a section outlining some protection for whistleblowers. The Whistleblower Protection Act, which would offer more protection, was approved by the House but is still pending Senate approval.
Source:
Sox-Online.com: Sarbanes-Oxley Act Section 806
Whistleblower.org: Whistleblower Protection Act and Amendments
SantaClaraUniversity.edu: Encouraging Internal Whistleblowing
Resource:
WorldWideWhistleblowers.com: Latest News
Whistleblowers.org: National Whistleblowers Center
WhistleblowerLaws.com: Federal and State Laws
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