Results of my recent qualitative study on the actions of whistleblowers are:
Morally, it was the right thing to do. To do nothing made them complicit. Each whistleblower felt it was their responsibility to do something. These are just a few comments heard repeatedly in a recent study of people who had blown the whistle on their employers.
They were morally compelled to act. Employees go through a decision-making process when they witness unethical activities. They have to balance their job security, personal cost, and morals against these activities. Those that felt compelled to act did not consider personal cost as an overriding factor, but fear of retaliation was. A couple of the study’s whistleblowers lost their jobs because of their poor attitude. Another participant and his staff were passed over for promotions several times. On the flip side, one participant received a large reward for reporting fraud against the U.S. government.
Most of the study participants would blow the whistle again. Only one person said he would not blow the whistle again. Many study participants said they work according to their professional standards so blowing the whistle is something they are not afraid to do in the future.