Blowing The Whistle. What’s Wrong With Corporate Culture?

Nobody goes into their workplace hoping to discover wrongdoing. Yet if an individual does discover a serious issue, such as financial impropriety or a safety violation, their next steps could define the rest of their career – perhaps the rest of their lives.
 

“Organisations are awash with mission statements, values and speak up policies,” says Meriel Schindler, lead partner in Withers’ London employment team. “Everyone talks about transparency. But when someone raises something that is uncomfortable, those in charge don’t always welcome it.”
 

Few whistleblowing cases ever become public, but Meriel’s experience suggests that the vast majority follow the pattern of well-known examples such as Sherron Watkins, a former Enron vice president who highlighted accounting fraud and corruption to its chief executive, who immediately sought advice on how to fire her.
 

One whistleblower consulted us after being dismissed from a prominent bank, where he had worked in foreign exchange. As was reported in the press, the dismissal came in the wake of the LIBOR benchmark rigging scandal, which cost global banks more than £10 billion in regulatory fines. The case was eventually settled – but more than a year later the whistleblower is yet to find another job in banking.