How to Promote Integrity in the Workplace and Protect Whistleblowers

Author: Rhonda Leabo

Whistleblowing is the act of informing an employer, government agency or other authority about fraud, misconduct or other illegal acts occurring in an organization. The misconduct being reported can be a violation of health, safety and environmental laws, a threat to public safety, fraud, corruption or other criminal conduct. Individuals who "blow the whistle" on the illegal conduct are protected by law from retaliation.

A whistleblower may report their allegations internally to others within the organization, or externally to law enforcement, the media or outside agencies. With proper action, an organization can take measures to prevent external whistleblowing from occurring.

There are many federal laws that address whistleblowing, two of which are the False Claims Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).