“A cautionary story of power, greed and lost ideallism”. It may sound like a trailer for Netflix, but this is the subtitle of a memoir written by former Facebook executive and whistleblower Sarah Wynn Williams. She was a leader for seven years, and her book The Careless People topped the New York Times bestseller list despite Meta’s temporary ban.
Her memoir describes how Meta’s relentless pursuit of profit, global expansion, and its push into politics led it to lose any moral or ethical compass. Her memoir describes a toxic corporate culture that was characterized by “greed, lost idealism” and systemic double-standards at the highest levels.
The Atlantic reported that Meta spokesperson Andy Stone described the book as “a mixture of old claims and untrue accusations against our executives”.
The rise of whistleblowing
This story is too familiar. In recent years, there have been many stories where whistleblowers felt the need for public disclosure.
Whistleblowing is a last resort for a person who wants to be heard, receive fair treatment and get justice.
It is alarming to note that for every story which makes it to the public’s attention, there are a number of others bubbling away below the surface and ready to explode at any moment. These stories may not be a bestseller, but they require a lot leadership energy and attention, as well as time-consuming and expensive investigations. Whistleblowers will also experience personal stress as they go through the process.
Organisational fallout can impact investor confidence, and reputational damage may lead to issues in attracting and retaining talents. The organisational culture could be a mess, which means it will take a while to rebuild trust and credibility.
How can we avoid this? Consider these four points.
Values
Each organisation requires a set values and behaviors. It is essential to provide clarity and guidance.
How do you make decisions and carry out tasks in your company?
How well are values lived? Is there a credibility problem because people don’t understand the above (more training and education is needed) or are employees (and/or managers) deliberately letting things slide? Both are dangerous, but the second is more harmful and should be addressed immediately.
Leadership Integrity
It is pointless to have values if leaders do not live them. Even a leader who behaves badly signals that you are not taking your values seriously. This leads to cynicism and a skepticism of the leadership, which in turn condones bad behaviour.
When you hold people accountable in a way that is based on values, you send the message that you not only live your organisational value but also work to navigate difficult situations.
No one is perfect. In human relationships, ambiguity and blind spots will always be present. Confidence and integrity are created by a commitment to live the values.
Psychological safety
In healthy cultures, the wellbeing of people is truly valued and managers are responsible for encouraging engagement and trust. This type of culture will resolve the majority of issues without the need for formal processes.
Employees are confident that their manager will listen to them and thank them for raising the issue. The matter will be handled confidentially, and the person who brings it up won’t suffer any negative effects on their role or career progression. People are often afraid to raise concerns, and for good reason. Often the whistleblower’s motive and character can be questioned.
There should be a grievance procedure if, for any reason, a problem cannot be resolved. If something escalates into a grievance, it should be treated as an urgent red flag and dealt with quickly.
Several organisations are dealing with multiple grievances, to the extent that grievances have become almost normalized in the culture. This situation calls for urgent senior management involvement and a commitment towards changing the culture.
Confidence in whistleblowing
Consider the following questions and how you can get answers from your regular engagement and culture surveys: You can answer the following questions by using your engagement and culture survey.
- Does your whistleblowing procedure meet its intended purpose?
- Is it easy to use, confidential and quick for employees? You may also want to consider anonymity.
- Are employees aware of the process?
- Has the user been instructed on how to use this device?
- Do they feel comfortable using it?
Share your findings with the board so that you can make any necessary changes or improvements quickly.
Investment in these four areas can help manage problems early and stop them from snowballing into something that is really harmful.
