Is it possible that the reluctance to report "observations of mis-conduct or violations of corporate policy" is an assessment by the employee that such pronouncements do not paint an absolute bright line of moral or ethical judgment?
The test might very well be "is the behavior harmful, is it immoral according to my beliefs, is it dangerous, etc.?" That is, do employees reinterpret the policy in real time? Do they make a calculation relative to the likelihood the company/their job are put at risk?
Do we have research which distinguishes reporters/nonreporters of violations by how secure they were with their professional career, financial status? This goes to the question of "outing and protecting" the reporter.
Also, if the number of crime rewards calls, that is, reports of criminal activity, goes up when the economy goes down (as news articles state they are now doing), do ethics reports do the same?
Hal Shear
Managing Director
Board Assets, Inc.
http://www.boardassets.com/
