We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Finance

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Corporate Whistleblower?

Jessica Ellis
By
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 7,899
Share

A corporate whistleblower is a current or former employee of a business or corporation that chooses to report illegal activity within the company to authorities. A corporate whistleblower may be lionized or demonized, cast either as a great moral example or a tattletale, depending on opinion. Regardless of motivation, a corporate whistleblower often accepts the risk of threats, harassment, and punitive action by choosing to report illegal behavior.

Whistleblowers are typically privy to information that conclusively proves, or at least strongly indicates, professional wrongdoing at the workplace. This may be evidence of insider trading, illegal business practices, or even practical discrimination in hiring practices. Usually, a corporate whistleblower will inform authorities if attempts to get the problem corrected internally go ignored. In some cases, a whistleblower will choose to inform authorities instead of going through a normal chain of command, particularly if the company has a history of firing employees that choose to question procedure.

Businesses that are knowingly and intentionally conducting illegal behavior are usually at pains to silence anyone who seems likely to inform authorities. Many take advantage of confidentiality agreements to threaten a worker's position if he or she is considering reporting illegal behavior. Since confidentiality agreements usually extend beyond the term of employment, employees who are fired or quit may still be at risk for threats of litigation for violating their contracts. While some laws have been created to protect employees that blow the whistle, these are far from comprehensive and may not provide necessary protection to save a whistleblower's job or professional reputation. For that reason, many legal experts recommend contacting an experience lawyer as soon as a decision is made to blow the whistle.

Stories of famous whistleblowers often detail the perilous path walked by those who choose to inform on companies. Jeffery Wigand, who famously turned corporate whistleblower after discovering that the tobacco company he worked for was including additives in their tobacco products that could increase addiction, maintains that he received death threats in the wake of taking the information public. A corporate whistleblower can nonetheless have a tremendous effect on policy and enforcement, such as in the case of David Franklin, a microbiologist who exposed evidence that the pharmaceutical company he worked for was withholding evidence about the high failure rate of a drug in order to keep it on the market. Franklin's effort as a corporate whistleblower led to numerous changes in the legal process of drug marketing in the United States.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Jessica Ellis
By Jessica Ellis
With a B.A. in theater from UCLA and a graduate degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Jessica Ellis brings a unique perspective to her work as a writer for WiseGeek. While passionate about drama and film, Jessica enjoys learning and writing about a wide range of topics, creating content that is both informative and engaging for readers.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis
With a B.A. in theater from UCLA and a graduate degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Jessica Ellis...
Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-corporate-whistleblower.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.