Whistle-blowers

[ForWhoForWhat?]

Get screwed far, far, more often than not.

From Whistle-blowers: Broken Lives and Organizational Power and Beautiful Souls (which i am currently reading):

Since the Federal Whistle-blower Protection Act of 1989, there have been around 10,000 Whistle-blower cases that have gone to court. The Whistle-blower was successful 4 times*.

2002-2008, There were 1273 cases , and the gov't ruled in favor of the Whistle-blower just 17 times. It is note worthy that the Whistle-blower Protection Act was somewhat strengthened in the wake of Enron and Worldcom. An additional 841 cases were dismissed on minor technicalities or because the employees worked at private subsidiaries of publicly traded companies the Dept of Labor decided were not covered by that statute.
*As of 2001, when that book first appeared.

According to those two books, if you witness something, even if you have the company dead to rights, you have a .17% chance of being successful, (1.3% chance since '02). Aren't these some lotto games and slot machines with better odds? And that doesn't include all that happens in the mean time: loss of job, wages, homes, stress on the family, being ostracized and blackballed. That's just scratching the surface of some of the research, it's just a generally bad situation all around for whistle-blowers, many developing alcoholism and depression after the event.

A true Democracy requires dissent, yet studies have shown American workers generally dislike troublemakers and rabblerousers, but the general population also doesn't respect those that "go along to get along" particularly in the wake of a scandal. So what is a person to do? I bet we'd all say on this board that we would "do the right thing". But in real life, i bet not. Now knowing the costs, what real incentive is there for the ordinary Joe to whistle-blow?

[lechrus2]

Nobody like a rat

[Grimjack]

Nobody like a rat

You seem to not too fond of mice either.

Turtle an ashtray by now ?

[Raid]

Nobody like a rat

True. It's part of what made the Quality Assurance/Quality Control career so friggin' 'tense'.

[lechrus2]

You seem to not too fond of mice either.

Turtle an ashtray by now ?

What turtle? The one we caught in the Mississippi River a decade ago?

[Grimjack]

What turtle? The one we caught in the Mississippi River a decade ago?

What other turtle would I be speaking of. Although I do hear some live long lives

[SilverSeahawk]

Yep, that's why I don't call the cops when the redneck jackass who lives above me is beating his wife. Although she could have it coming for all I know.

[lechrus2]

What other turtle would I be speaking of. Although I do hear some live long lives

Well, when my friend hooked the turtle, we thought it was a huge fish because of how difficult it was to reel in, upstream especially. He had visions of some 20 pound cat perhaps. Turned out it was a big snapping turtle, its shell was perhaps 2 feet long. He cut the line rather than boat it, so no, I didn't keep it as a pet. :)

[lechrus2]

Yep, that's why I don't call the cops when the redneck jackass who lives above me is beating his wife. Although she could have it coming for all I know.

That's not a rat though.

[ForWhoForWhat?]

Yep, that's why I don't call the cops when the redneck jackass who lives above me is beating his wife. Although she could have it coming for all I know.

that's a little different that whistleblowing.

[LGM]

Yep, that's why I don't call the cops when the redneck jackass who lives above me is beating his wife. Although she could have it coming for all I know.

1. horrible analogy.

2. Could be illegal.

[Grimjack]

Well, when my friend hooked the turtle, we thought it was a huge fish because of how difficult it was to reel in, upstream especially. He had visions of some 20 pound cat perhaps. Turned out it was a big snapping turtle, its shell was perhaps 2 feet long. He cut the line rather than boat it, so no, I didn't keep it as a pet. :)

I guess the turtle theme has played ist self out. I hadn't even got around to the snapping quips yet. I didn't even get a leathery crack in. Oh well. Kinda glad the turtle got away

[LGM]

I guess the turtle theme has played ist self out. I hadn't even got around to the snapping quips yet. I didn't even get a leathery crack in. Oh well. Kinda glad the turtle got away

I had a turtle this morning, but made it to the toilet just in time.

[Fandango]

According to those two books, if you witness something, even if you have the company dead to rights, you have a .17% chance of being successful, (1.3% chance since '02).

Now knowing the costs, what real incentive is there for the ordinary Joe to whistle-blow?

That is a truly sad statistic, and shows why so many cases of corporate malfeasance never gets penalized in the manner that it should.