Signs of Retaliation In writing about the World Whistleblowing Day 2026, jdsupra.com defines an anti-retaliation culture as existing “at work when people can report concerns or take part in an investigation without being punished, isolated, or treated differently.” They point out that policies and guidance help direct culture, but credibility and trust come from supporting […]
Building an Anti-Whistleblowing Culture Read More »
How Can Organizations Support Employee Reporting of Workplace Misconduct? I have previously blogged about the fact that workplace ethics are in decline. Whether it’s instances of the misappropriation of assets, fraudulent financial reports, sexual harassment, workplace bullying, and more, organizations need to tighten their reporting mechanisms to encourage employees to come forward and inform top
Why Does Workplace Misconduct Go Unreported? Read More »
Reasons for Unethical Behavior in the Workplace I’ve been writing about workplace ethics for many years. I’ve tackled issues such as organizational culture, governance, the evils of social media, bullying, sexual harassment, and whistleblowing, to mention a few. Yesterday, I was shocked to read about the steep decline in ethics in the workplace and its
Workplace Ethics in Decline Read More »
Has Boeing Learned its Lesson? Two weeks ago, Boeing disclosed a Boeing 737 Max wiring flaw delayed deliveries because of small scratches on wires in a group of undelivered 737 Max aircraft, caused by a machining error during production, leading to rework and first-quarter delivery delays. The Boeing 737 Max wiring flaw delays deliveries affects produced but
Boeing Max 737 Continuing Safety Problems Read More »
How Does it Play Out? Canceling someone typically consists of a group publicly shaming an individual, followed by the refusal to engage with that person in any capacity. In other words, it’s collectively not talking or working with someone in any capacity. In the workplace, canceling can have enormous effects because it could mean a
Why Do People and Organizations Practice Cancel Culture? Read More »
Weighing the Harms and Benefits of Alternative Actions We would like to think that organizations run their businesses ethically and, for the most part, this is true. However, there may be circumstances when a supervisor asks you to do something illegal or unethical. There are a variety of reasons this could occur including: Examples of
What You Should Do if Your Boss Asks You to Do Something Illegal/Unethical Read More »
Do Whistleblower Awards Lead to More Whistleblowing? The ethics of whistleblowing is a tricky matter. Whistle-blowing brings two moral values, fairness and loyalty, into conflict. Doing what is fair or just (e.g., promoting an employee based on talent alone) often conflicts with showing loyalty (e.g., promoting a longstanding but unskilled employee). Taken to its extreme
What Motivates Someone to Blow the Whistle? Read More »
The Company Failed to Walk the Talk of Ethics I have previously blogged about the failures at Boeing in production systems, inspections, internal audits, a safety culture, and reporting to the board of directors. One lingering question is: Why didn’t the board of directors at Boeing act to disclose the problems with the production design and manufacturing
Corporate Governance Failures at Boeing Read More »
Setting an Ethical Tone at the Top I have previously blogged about the importance of having a code of conduct for all organizations. A code of conduct establishes the ethical principles upon which the behavior of employees will be judged. It helps to distinguish right from wrong. A code provides guidelines on reporting wrongdoing, and so much
What Should Be Included in an Organization’s Code of Ethics? Read More »
One’s Motive for Acting is the Key Is whistleblowing a moral practice? Different views exist on this important issue. Generally, the act of whistleblowing should be motivated by good intentions – i.e., to right a wrong. On the other hand, if the motive is to gain a financial reward or retaliate against a company for
Is Whistleblowing a Moral Act? Read More »