Not All Whistleblowers Are The Same!

The dictionary defines a whistleblower as, “a person who informs on another or makes public disclosure of corruption or wrongdoing”. While the definition gives us a cursory explanation of the whistleblower, it's important to understand the type of whistleblowers so that we can narrow the parameters and understand the topic more thoroughly.

From a legal perspective they're actually two types of whistleblowers. The first is what is known as Qui Tam. The Qui Tam whistleblower files under the Federal False Claims Act (FFCA) which focuses on defrauding the government or making false claims for profit.

The second type of whistleblower is known as an OSHA whistleblower. This type falls under different laws administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Office and is usually aimed unsafe practices that put employees at risk and which could endanger the public.

Whistleblowing can also take on different forms such as:

• Internal Whistleblowing. This happens when the whistleblower decided to act within the confines of the organization. He goes over the head of those doing the wrong doing and reports his findings / suspicions to the superiors. This is most common in cases of corporate whistleblowing when the actions are hurting the company, more than the general public. It is most likely that the management will take action to protect the interests of the company.
• External Whistleblowing. This occurs when the whistleblower takes his concerns outside the organization and brings them to the notice of regulatory authorities, public interest groups and the general public. This is most common when the malpractice is being done by the government or a large corporation and affects the public.

There are also at least four distinct types of people who become whistleblowers.

The Current Whistleblower is someone who blows the whistle on his current employer or organization.

• The Alumni Whistleblower is a former employee who upon leaving an organization, feels he is duty bound to report what he has seen happening there.
• The Open Whistleblower makes no attempt to conceal his identity and is not scared of revealing it.
• The Anonymous Whistleblower acts without revealing his identity. This could be either out of fear of retaliation, social pressure or because he does wants to continue to build his case against the company or organization.

Whatever the category or whatever the type, whistleblowers are important for both accountability and safety. And regardless of the type, every whistleblower has one thing in common-courage.