Establishing a policy for whistleblowing : Structured procedures for calling foul

Last year, for the first time since 1986, Time Magazine awarded its prestigious Person of the Year accolade to three females. Why? Because these women had the courage to speak up about wrongdoings within their respective organizations. Sherron Watkins (of Enron), FBI staff attorney Coleen Rowley and Cynthia Cooper (a WorldCom executive) all risked their jobs, their health and their futures to bring to light accounting scandals, mismanagement and cover‐ups that others failed to report. Employees are often the first to know of any unethical, immoral or downright illegal dealings that go on within an organization, however they also tend to be the last to speak out, fearing the loss of their job, their friends or their potential for promotion.