Whistleblowing in Government. Free Essay

Some situations in government organizations leave employees in a thin line. An individual has to decide whether to do right or wrong as two moral values fairness, and loyalty gets into conflict. In most cases, showing loyalty often conflicts with being reasonable. The ethics of whistleblowing is a problematic issue. Every act is right; it all depends on the lens one used to view the matter. A person viewing situations from a loyalty perspective cannot become a whistleblower because the act agonizes conflicts. It also violates trust, which is an essential aspect of the workplace. Pointing out wrongdoings in the workplace sometimes seems like going against the prevailing winds in an institution that earns a person's names, such as a snitch. Although most people agree with the value of telling wrongdoing in organizational governance, external forces give a different view on perception and acceptance.

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Government agencies make decisions on the most critical issues such as education, human rights, health, safety, and economy. Some of the leaders involved in these decisions do them for the wrong reasons since they are either lazy, corrupt, or incompetent (Dyrud, 2017). Corruption is flourishing since workers aware of these acts keep quiet in distress of losing their occupations. However, things are fluctuating due to the increase in acknowledgement of the significance of whistleblowing. People are resolving hazardous situations by pointing out unethical activities in government organizations. It is also improving the internal organizational cultures and management efficacy through revealing mistakes.

An ethical issue is a situation where moral standards are questioned and addressed. Leaders tend to make the decision that creates conflicts with the communities' moral principles. These activities are put to a query from the ethical viewpoint where people involved are questioned. These conflicts might result in dangerous fallouts. Since these issues might not have legal penalties, they generate adverse reactions from the public. It is challenging to deal with ethical matters, for there are no precedents or guidelines to follow. Different societies have different ethical issues, which means that one thing can be acceptable in one community and not suitable in the other. For this reason, professionals in government agencies use ethical codes that are discussed and approved by the main participants. These codes are used as frameworks while making decisions or faced by conflicts. Thus, through them, leaders make informed decisions.

Although the definition of ethical issues differs in different communities, ethical theories guide people in making decisions. Two ethical theories apply in all cases. These notions provide the perspectives from which leaders should pursue control before making a decision. However, ethical theories are only useful when a person understands the set objectives that a leader tries to achieve. All government agencies around the world have almost similar goals, which include providing the best services to the communities they are serving (Chonko, 2012). Thus, when they fail to deliver, they break the deontological class of ethical theories. In this class, it is clearly stated that leaders should adhere to their duties. An individual should uphold his or her mission by providing consistent decisions. This theory justifies whistleblowing since once a person falls on the responsibilities, it should be known for one to get questioned or removed in power.

Every society has established rights which are highly protected. Thus, whistleblowers are considered heroes when they point out actions that go against these rights. As explained on rights ethical theories, something is considered ethically correct only when a large number of the population approves it. In this scenario, people must able to decode the features of a right in a community as the community decide the powers it desires citizens to maintain. Conversely, before an organization distinguishes the rights it wants to enact, first, it must decide on noble goals and priorities. For instance, many states worldwide have the freedom of worship, and this right has had the highest priority. Thus, an employee is obligated to blow the whistle if leaders try to amend a different bill regarding this case. This is because, in places such as the United States, it was among the founding fathers' objectives. Hence, it can be unethical for a person to deny others this freedom or plan to pass a bill against it.

Government organizations are committed to providing workplaces with a conducive environment open to discussions concerning their practices. The federal policies comply with all applicable laws which protect workers from any form of discrimination or violation. Therefore, when the employees' rights conflict with the boss's orders, they cause conflicts that require solutions that might breach precise laws. So, the Board of Directors in these agencies have adopted Whistleblower Protection Policies. These organizations are committed to serving the citizens with integrity and honesty. Besides, they are promoting compliance with all applicable bills through fostering a code of ethics that reiterates the standards of conduct and ethical behaviors which society expects leaders to possess. Nevertheless, the code of ethics is not only the aspect of the organizations as there are other policies issued from time to time, and employees must familiarize and comply with these policies and procedures.

Whistleblowing is an essential aspect for it helps companies promote efficiency, fair treatment, and transparency. It is also an ethical thing to do, for it addresses wrongdoings allowing justice to prevail from the roots, which in many cases remain unexposed (WhistleB, 2017). Additionally, since whistleblowing also promotes honesty among workers, it helps to cultivate dedication towards organization objectives. On the other hand, transparency enables effective communication. Whistleblowing helps protect societies served by federal agencies from misconduct. It helps them protect their reputation since they do not get into public scandals, fines, or risk of legal prosecution. The environments without risks enable employees to focus on critical matters, such as improving public healthcare facilities. Additionally, promoting whistleblowing culture prevents unnecessary capital loss through tracking down on fraud. For instance, nowadays, government officials are using federal funds to benefits themselves. Tax is increasing every day, yet people are receiving poor services in public sectors. These activities cannot happen in the presence of whistleblowers, and thus every organization should invest in them.

Although whistleblowing has many benefits to the organization, there are numerous risks associated with it. Corrupt leaders do not like the things they do brought to light. Hence, a person who takes such actions to light pay for his or her deeds. Some people lose their jobs while others are served with court orders for breaching employment agreements. Nations around the world are working to establish laws that protect whistleblowers. In countries where these laws are not working, administrations are embracing internal rules that enable disclosure. Luckily, these laws work in the community sector though to precise types of wrongdoings. In private sectors, retaliation against whistleblowers often occurs, making employees keep silent about misconduct.

Just like everything else, whistleblowing has advantages and disadvantages. Workers take advantage of whistleblowing to the extent of breaching the ethics and working policy. The laws against whistleblowing have not put boundaries to the area a person can point out misconduct. So, the whistleblowers violate two codes of ethics unknowingly, which include conflict of interest and confidentiality. Nowadays, workers leak information about projects. For example, the government always works to advance the healthcare facility; the knowledge that leaders want to reach the citizens is the completion of a hospital. Then again, a worker can decide to leak small details left out like the amount used and the size of the facility; this information brings problems to the agency. Besides, an interest breach repeatedly occurs, especially when a person in the government sector always give tenders to family members or friends. The whole point is outsourcing work regardless of relationship, but the workers go out telling the entire state about it. Moreover, most countries offer freedom of speech, and whistleblower misuses by not using the right channels to address misconduct (Swanson et al. 2013). Instead they post in social platforms and inform media houses and ends up breaching the ethics.

The two ethical theories cited in the essay help people think about constitute virtues and ethical behavior in unique ways. Deontology is the first ethical theory which states that ethical behavior equal to following rules. Prescribed duties identify the conduct. For a person to be considered morally upright, he or she must perform tasks accurately. Since ethics are based on behavior, all problems are solved using the working policy. For instance, if the work of a civil engineer is to construct a road, he or she is said to have ethical behavior after completing the task. In this case, the conduct determines one's true virtue, while character means nothing if a person cannot deliver.

Conversely, the right based theory state that something is right if the majority of the population endorses it. For a person to determine whether a behavior is ethical, one must learn the characteristics considered right in a community. Rights are claimed against others through treating them in specific ways. The natural rights relate to us under our humanity, which applies to every individual. Thus, the government can only impose ethical behaviors by providing assistance and welfare to the less fortunate citizens in a state Downe et al. (2016).

In conclusion, whistleblowing poses mixed reactions to employees. An individual must determine which side he or she will take before pointing out misconduct in organizations. This applies, especially in government agencies. National organizations make decisions on the most critical issues, such as education, human rights, health, safety, and economy. Some of these leaders make the decision that suits their interests. These decisions conflict with social, moral principles. These situations have forced the agencies to introduce whistleblowers who point out the misdoings of leaders promoting efficacy, fair treatment, and transparency. Whistleblowers face many challenges, for sometimes, they are punished for these acts. Conversely, some of them use this opportunity to breach organizations working policies. However, whistleblowing is ethical, for in many cases, it helps run organizations according to the social standards.

References

Chonko Larry, (2012). ETHICAL THEORIES. https://www.dsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EthicalTheories.pdf

Downe James, Cowell Richard & Morgan Karen, (2016). What Determines Ethical Behavior in Public Organizations: Is It Rules or Leadership? file:///C:/Users/Home/Downloads/Downe_et_al-2016 Public_Administration_Review%20(1).pdf

Dyrud A. Marilyn, (2017). Ethics and Whistleblowing: Moral Quandaries. Oregon Institute of Technology. http://www.indiana.edu/~ciec/Proceedings_2017/ETD/ETD535_Dyrud.pdf

Swanson Kristofer, Kirsch II L. Thomas, & Dunigan M. Ryan, (2013). Data Breaches in a Whistleblower's World: What You Should Know, Why You Should Know It. By the American Bar Association. https://www.crai.com/sites/default/files/publications/Data-Breaches-in-a-Whistleblowers-World.pdf