Raising an Issue of Participation in a

Professional Society

CE 480

Sara has been employed by a company for over 20 years. At the beginning of her employment, she was encouraged by her superiors to join a professional society. Sara has held several board and committee positions in the society. She even obtained her company's approval before accepting the positions.

Sara's immediate superior, Perry, feels that Sara should participate in this professional society on her own time, even though their company encourages excused leave for these purposes. Perry feels that participation in a professional society is not employee training and does not benefit the employer. He refuses to forward Sara's written request for leave to attend meetings to higher level-management.

When summoned to meet with the chief executive officer (CEO) on another matter, Sara asks for her opinion of participation in professional societies by company engineers. The CEO reaffirms her encouragement. Sara prepares a travel request that is to go through her supervisor to the CEO, but the supervisor refuses to forward the travel request. Perry tells Sara that he does not appreciate her going over his head to discuss this matter with his superior.

Questions:

(1) What is your assessment of Sara's taking paid leave in order to attend professional society meetings?

(2) Was it ethical for her to speak directly to the CEO?

(3) Was this whistleblowing?

(4) Was it ethical for Perry to hinder Sara's efforts to obtain leave?

(5) Is there any additional information that would change your judgment of the scenario?

Definitions

WHISTLE-BLOWER

A person who takes a concern (such as a concern about safety, financial fraud, or mistreatment (of research animals) outside of the organization in which the abuse or suspected abuse is occurring and with which the whistle-blower is affiliated.

Not all whistle-blowing is equally adversarial to the affected organization, even though it is at least an embarrassment for an organization to be exposed as one that cannot correct its own problems. There are many regulatory agencies such as OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Organization) that exist to perform oversight and to which whistle-blowers can go anonymously. Going to those charged with oversight, such as regulatory agencies, is usually seen as much less adversarial than, say, going to the media.

Some people have used the term "whistler-blower" for those who raise an issue within their organization, but the more general term for a person who raises an issue inside or outside an organization is "complainant."