While the work of enforcing financial controls and reconciling balance sheets is rarely the stuff of newspaper headlines, it’s vital work nonetheless – and it’s work that often puts these professionals in a position to sniff out wrongdoing, fraud and mismanagement at its earliest stages.
Yet the very real threat of reprisal for reporting wrongdoing means that often these professionals are forced to choose between upholding their professional obligations and protecting their family, personal wellbeing and, often, their very livelihood.
Rather than being celebrated for their role in ensuring accountability, public service workers who disclose wrongdoing are routinely ostracized and villainized. Of all the various channels of recourse available to those who uncover fraud or mismanagement, none offer timely resolutions and while the processes play out, the worker is usually stuck working with the very people against whom they’ve alleged wrongdoing. Reprisal is common and work environments quickly become toxic, leading to worse mental health outcomes but, perhaps more importantly, allowing wrongdoing to fester.
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