ABSTRACT
Compared with other countries, Norwegian employees score high on whistleblowing activity and effectiveness but low on retaliation. These scores can be explained by the Nordic labor-market model and by the Norwegian approach to whistleblowing. Though legislation aims to provide precise, clear rules to protect whistleblowers from management reprisal, they may still run a risk. Employees may find it difficult to decide whether they have met the conditions for whistleblowing. In addition, their loyalty, whether to their employer or the workplace, can impede their decision to blow the whistle. Thus, internal whistleblowing, which has a chance to protect the organization while commenting on it, will often be more natural than its external counterpart will. Many questions remain: What kind of protection will a whistleblower have? What are the risks? What are the consequences of different actions for the whistleblower? Is it possible to minimize these uncertainties for the employee? Our story illustrates internal whistleblowing and retaliation.
