Temat: Whistleblowers want protection to root out wrongdoing

Those brave enough to blow whistle on wrongdoing need better protection and even financial rewards to compensate for the pain and suffering they face

It takes courage to blow the whistle on wrongdoing at work and those brave enough to raise their concerns are putting their livelihood, friendships and health on the line. In some cases they might even be risking their lives.

This high toll is something Michael Woodford, the former president of Olympus, knows only too well. When he exposed a $1.7bn (£1.1bn) fraud at the global company and possible links to the Japanese mafia, he was left fearing for his safety with police advising him not to use the balcony of his Thames-side apartment because of the risk of assassination. That’s on top of being fired, incredible stress placed upon him and his family and the sense of exasperation as his battle to do the right thing was frustrated at every turn.

Be prepared for “despicable” treatment by their employers warns Mr Woodford, who is a member of the PCAW commission. “I served the Olympus well for 30 years, and albeit I lost my job in the process, I got rid of the board.”

He also warns of the stigma that comes with being labelled a whistleblower. “I went to the media with evidence after I had exhausted every other possible option internally, that’s why I’m called a whistleblower, although I don’t like the term,” he says. “It’s just unhelpful much of the time, it sounds like snitch or telltale. I prefer ‘truth teller’. I see myself as someone who saw something overtly wrong and wanted expose it and hold to account those responsible.”

Emily Taylor was company secretary and legal director of internet domain name company Nominet but was dismissed after she raised corporate governance concerns while on sick leave. She later won an employment tribunal but says the experience has had a “profound” impact upon her.

She says Nominet’s response was to attack when she blew the whistle. “This is a fairly standard reaction to whistleblowers... their attacks were dismissed by the tribunal.”

Despite their experiences both she and Mr Woodford say they would act the same way again.
However, he does warn that once the process is begun, it takes on a life of its own. “Once you have started going across that bridge you don’t even ask yourself those questions - ‘Is it worth it?’ - because there is no going back. Of course I didn’t want to see my wife trembling in bed in a terrible state. It’s something which took away her innocence and I wouldn’t have wished that on her but we got through it. Bad things happened and I’ve come out of it at the end.”

Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/10414752/Whist...