What Does It Mean To Be Protected Under Whistle Blowers?

disclosure must be for the public interest, which means it must be of benefit to the general public. Whistle-blowers are protected by the law under the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), the Whistleblowing Protection Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) as well as other state and federal laws that protect the reporting individual from wrongful termination and/or other retaliating actions of an organization. The law protects the illegal activities reported by a whistle-blower to include, but not limited to, fraud, illegal environmental activities, wrongful conviction, insider trading, and the concealing any illegal activities by an employer (Vinten, 1994). In order for the employee to be protected under whistle-blower laws,

The decision makers must weigh the different considerations including the impact that their actions have on the individuals concerned. It is important that one has a defined system for ethical decision making, and ideally make decisions with such frequency, it becomes so conventional that both the employee and management are able to work automatically through the required steps (Reiss,

10). The utilitarian approach attempts to accomplish the greatest good for the greatest number while at the same time preventing the least amount of harm or suffering. It holds that every person or organization’s interests should be measured equally when making ethical decisions.

b. The Rights Approach

The rights approach is the theory that protects and respects the moral rights of individuals. This approach focuses on employees having the “right to be treated as ends and not merely as means to other ends” (SUC, 1988, para. 11). When an individual is confronted with conflicting interests of rights, the decision that has to be made is dependent on whose interest has more merit and greater priority and protects the rights of the individual or organization.

c. The Fairness