The SEC, Jordan Thomas, and Compensating Whistleblowers
The possibility of being blacklisted by employers and other overt forms of retaliation discouraged whistleblowers from reporting wrongdoings for many years. Turns out, $562 million dollars is a strong incentive for people to come forward.
The EU Whistleblower Directive - a View from 15,000 Feet
In 2019, the European Union Council of Ministers adopted what would become known as the EU Whistleblower Directive, or commonly called the WB Directive. The Directive was put in place specifically to protect whistleblowers from retaliation and encourage the reporting of violations of Union law by driving common standards.
Reacting to Whistleblowers
The defining moment, rather person, of the whistleblower era was most certainly Deep Throat. Deep Throat is the pseudonym given to the secret informant who provided information in 1972 to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were reporters for The Washington Post, and Deep Throat provided key details about the involvement of U.S. President Richard Nixon's administration in what came to be known as the Watergate scandal. “This guy that was fired,” Nixon bragged in a Jan. 31, 1973, taped White House conversation. “I said get rid of that son of a bitch.”
Ask ETHIX360: Can a Whistleblower Be Protected from Retaliation When They Report to Internal Corporate Compliance Hotlines?
Ask ETHIX360: is a Question & Answer series from ETHIX360, meant to address public questions about the world of corporate compliance.
5 Areas of Focus for Improving Your Company’s Whistleblower Hotline Program
While establishing a whistleblower hotline program is a key element in a company’s dynamic, there is a delicate balance that needs to be held. It is important that employees have a clear understanding of the types of concerns that should be reported through their company’s hotline.
4 Tips for Naming Your Company's… Hotline, Helpline, Whistleblower Line
What you call your company's anonymous reporting hotline can either ensure or avert trust. Here are 4 tips for selecting a name that will resonate with your staff.
SOX: One of the Most Important Whistleblower Protection Laws?
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) contains significant protections for corporate whistleblowers. Given its diverse civil, criminal, and administrative provisions, the statute may be considered, over time, one of the most important whistleblower protection laws.
Does SOX 301 Protect Anonymous Whistleblowers Internationally?
One of the most common questions we are asked by clients and prospects alike relates to allowing or prohibiting anonymous whistleblower reports. Although the answer varies greatly depending on circumstance and allegation type, it seems many of the questions revolve around Sarbanes-Oxley 301.
Why Corporate Fraud Whistleblowers Hesitate to Report Wrongdoing
A recent study by three professors looks at 230 of the U.S.'s largest public company frauds disclosed over a 20-year period. The study, entitled "Who Blows the Whistle on Corporate Fraud?" addresses how each corporate fraud was discovered. Consistent with every other study on the subject, employee whistleblowers are the largest discovery mechanism.