Does Whistle Blowing Violate Company Loyalty
YES Summary – Sissela Bok
According to Sissela Bok whistleblowing is a label generated by increased awareness of the ethical conflicts encountered at work. Whistle blowers sound the alarm from within the very organization in which they work, aiming to spotlight neglect or abuses that threaten the public interest. The stakes in whistleblowing are high, whistle blowers pose a threat to those whom they denounce and their own careers are at risk. Sissela Bok acknowledges that blowing the whistle is often justified but that in doing so the individual creates dissent, conflict and breaches the loyalty of their employer. Whistleblowers often find themselves in the difficult situation of having to choose between conforming and sticking their necks out. She mentions that the more repressive the authority they challenge, the greater the personal risk they take in speaking out.
Sissela Bok gives a great example of the whistleblower who hopes to stop the game; but since he/she is neither a referee nor coach, and since he/she blows the whistle on his own team, the act is seen as a violation of loyalty. She believes that in being employed with an organization, we assume certain obligations towards colleagues and clients. We may even have to subscribe to a loyalty of oath or a promise of confidentiality. Loyalty to colleagues and to clients creates conflict against loyalty to the public interest, to those who may be injured unless the exposure is made. Bok also argues that not only is whistleblowing a violation of loyalty but that leadership is opposed since the individual is not only a colleague but also a subordinate. She states that the element of accusation arouses the strongest reactions on the part of leadership.
Sissela Bok also suggests that if the facts warrant whistleblowing, we each have an individual moral choice and we should think about how to minimize the breach of loyalty. We must be sure that there is a problem in the first place and weigh its injustice before
According to Sissela Bok whistleblowing is a label generated by increased awareness of the ethical conflicts encountered at work. Whistle blowers sound the alarm from within the very organization in which they work, aiming to spotlight neglect or abuses that threaten the public interest. The stakes in whistleblowing are high, whistle blowers pose a threat to those whom they denounce and their own careers are at risk. Sissela Bok acknowledges that blowing the whistle is often justified but that in doing so the individual creates dissent, conflict and breaches the loyalty of their employer. Whistleblowers often find themselves in the difficult situation of having to choose between conforming and sticking their necks out. She mentions that the more repressive the authority they challenge, the greater the personal risk they take in speaking out.
Sissela Bok gives a great example of the whistleblower who hopes to stop the game; but since he/she is neither a referee nor coach, and since he/she blows the whistle on his own team, the act is seen as a violation of loyalty. She believes that in being employed with an organization, we assume certain obligations towards colleagues and clients. We may even have to subscribe to a loyalty of oath or a promise of confidentiality. Loyalty to colleagues and to clients creates conflict against loyalty to the public interest, to those who may be injured unless the exposure is made. Bok also argues that not only is whistleblowing a violation of loyalty but that leadership is opposed since the individual is not only a colleague but also a subordinate. She states that the element of accusation arouses the strongest reactions on the part of leadership.
Sissela Bok also suggests that if the facts warrant whistleblowing, we each have an individual moral choice and we should think about how to minimize the breach of loyalty. We must be sure that there is a problem in the first place and weigh its injustice before