Our movies, books and news media often cover the subject of the whistleblower. That’s the person who sees an injustice or an illegality and has the courage to challenge or expose it.
That’s the operative word. Courage.
The injustice or illegality normally occurs in the whistleblower’s company, organization or specific workplace.
Most of us, when confronted by a situation like that, simply look the other way. Concerned for our job, our family, our reputation among our superiors or coworkers, we just let that or illegality or injustice continue. Even though we know it is wrong, we pretend we are blind. We are afraid. We are cowards.
Movies have made much of those who were willing to stand alone against injustice, the most recent examples being Erin Brockovich with Julia Roberts and North Country with Charlese Theron. If you’re old enough, you might remember Silkwood with Meryl Streep or Norma Rae with Sally Field.
All based on true stories, the women in each of these movies went up against the system. They challenged powerful entrenched interests. In doing so they experienced harassment from their superiors. Coworkers rejected them for fear of their own jobs.
In the movies we cheer for the whistleblower, the underdog. In real life we watch it happen. We say nothing. We don’t want to be involved. Material security becomes more important than right and wrong.
And why have I chosen the whistleblower as the subject of this blog?
I know a whistleblower. Harassed through no fault if her own, she had the courage to write a letter to the president of the company, citing what had happened to her. That letter initiated a thorough investigation by senior management. Finding that her allegations were valid, the company is initiating changes. Things aren’t perfect yet, but they are getting better.
And yet many of her coworkers continue to reject her. Maybe its because they have no knowledge of the basis of her claims. Rumor and innuendo run rampant within the organization. That’s because middle management has a history of running the place through harassment, fear and intimidation.
Thanks to the whistleblower, I hope that now it’s all over. I hope that her coworkers will understand that she was not only fighting or her own rights as an employee and a human being, but that she was fighting for their rights too.
