Whistle-Blowing: Noble or Foolish?

A couple of days ago, I did a post about a non-traditional way of promoting workplace safety. The New York Times reports on the more traditional way: blowing the whistle on unsafe working conditions. Stories like this one always raise the question of whether whistle-blowing is for the noble or the foolish.

While the employee/whistle-blower in this case is atypical, the treatment he has received is unfortunately all too typical. Threats and abuse from supervisors, co-workers, his own union. Shunning. Initial blame for a deadly fire caused by the unsafe conditions he was reporting. Unemployment.

Two supervisors are now charged with criminal negligence in connection with the fire. The whistle-blower has been shown to have acted heroically during the fire. He has a lawsuit pending against his employer for retaliating against him. But he’s still an outcast, unable to find a job.

Despite all the laws protecting them, whistle-blowers are too often branded as whiners or troublemakers. Rather than being welcomed as helpful, their complaints are ignored or ridiculed. As may be true in this case, such reaction from employers is particularly problematic, even fatal, when unsafe working conditions are being called out.

Whistle-blowers always say they were trying to do the right thing. Employers always say they want their employees to do the right thing. Yet it’s so hard sometimes for the right thing to occur.