Scandal-ridden company needs long term whistleblower policy.
from Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform
SNC-Lavalin's recent announcement of an "amnesty" for employees who report wrongdoing sends the wrong message and misrepresents what the company is trying to accomplish.
SNC's announcement conveys the impression that it is the company's policy to fire whistleblowers and to seek damages for any losses, and that the amnesty is a temporary suspension of this policy (for three months) allowing whistleblowers to turn themselves in in return for immunity. This message has caused shock and dismay since whistleblowers should never be punished for coming forward and should not need an amnesty, let alone a temporary one.
In fact, says a VP, what SNC is trying to do is to encourage workers who have broken the rules to turn themselves in. This strategy makes sense and has been used successfully before, for example by Siemens.
When there is wrongdoing going on, employees often become complicit simply by following orders, and they are told 'this is how we do business'. They may know or suspect that the practice is wrong, but they may also fear for their jobs and feel that they have no choice. These are the people targeted by the amnesty.
In contrast, whistleblowers are the tiny minority who refuse to "go along" or turn a blind eye, and who try to get the wrongdoing stopped. They cannot always keep their hands entirely clean — sometimes they are implicated in some way before they fully realize what is going on — but they actively oppose the misconduct.
SNC claims to have a strong whistleblowing policy and to be doing all that it can to protect truth-tellers. We hope that this is true and that these efforts are indeed effective — because SNC needs all the help it can get to fully clean shop and restore its tarnished reputation.
About Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform
Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform (FAIR) promotes integrity and accountability within government by empowering employees to speak out without fear of reprisal when they encounter wrongdoing. Our aim is to support legislation and management practices that will provide effective protection for whistleblowers and hence occupational free speech in the workplace. FAIR is a registered Canadian charity.
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