World Whistleblowers Day – A tribute to our vital troublemakers

Every year on June 23rd, we recognize World Whistleblowers Day. The day was established to acknowledge and honor those who blow the whistle on corruption, misconduct, and irregularities, as well as to recognize heroic efforts in defending human rights and democracy.

In public debate, being a whistleblower is generally perceived as something highly honorable. In practice, however, it is often a very thankless role, rarely met with goodwill. The whole idea is that you fight for what you believe is right, but in opposition to the prevailing order where you operate. In reality, this also frequently means entering into conflict with your employer, your colleagues, and your superiors.

At Lantero, we work with whistleblowers and whistleblowing cases every single day. We know that reported cases often miss the mark. Sometimes they are matters that do not belong in the channel at all, such as issues concerning interpersonal conflicts or leadership. Other times, they stem from a misinterpretation of the circumstances.

Those who report are often driven by a strong sense of justice. But just as often as actual violations are brought to light, the report may be based on an overinterpretation or misconstruction of the situation. Whistleblowers tend to be of a personality type that dares to go against consensus, which in certain situations is admirable and valuable. In practice, however, the individual is often perceived as a crank or a troublemaker.

We at Lantero constantly remind ourselves of this duality. It is easy to see the troublemaker and focus on cases that perhaps should be handled face-to-face between a couple of colleagues. At the same time, these are the very individuals who are prepared to stand up and sound the alarm when something is genuinely wrong.

As professionals working with these issues daily, we tip our hats to this often thankless commitment. Today, let us celebrate our challenging, yet upstanding and vital whistleblowers!