Blowing the Whistle in the Workplace: An Empirical Study From Malaysian GLCs

Abstract

Unethical behaviour in the organisation has become a serious issue within larger corporations, and there has been pressure on the government and corporate players to practice good governance. The organisational context is considered for testing the factors influencing whistleblowing among the people within the organisation. This study examines three determinant factors of whistleblowing intention: organisation factors, personal relationships and personal characteristics of employees in Malaysian government-linked companies (GLCs). This study used a quantitative research approach in which 400 questionnaires were distributed and 306 received as a completed survey. According to the findings, organisational structure has a significant relationship with whistleblowing intention, with most employees more inclined to blow the whistle if suitable reporting procedures are available. Employees are more likely to report wrongdoing if not linked to the perpetrator. Regarding personal traits, younger and higher-ranking employees are more likely to report whistleblowing, but gender does not play a role since neither male nor female influences whistleblowing intention.