Agencies should know where their organization stands in terms of fostering a culture that encourages whistleblowing, but it’s important to take a more detailed look because that culture can vary even within the agency, the Merit Systems Protection Board said in a newly issued newsletter.
It called on leaders to learn more about employee perceptions of whistleblowing and to instruct subordinate leaders and managers to explore the perceptions that exist within their own organizations, noting that wrongdoing will often be seen and reported on the local level.
Based on data from its 2010 merit principles survey, it said employees at NASA (89 percent) and the Department of Treasury (72 percent) were the most likely to say their agencies encouraged reports of wrongdoing.
However, while 75 percent of IRS respondents agreed that their agency encourages reports of wrongdoing, for the rest of the Department of the Treasury, there was only 59 percent agreement, MSPB said.
It said in DHS, 69 percent of Customs and Border Protection were in agreement, but only 58 percent at TSA were. In the Department Justice, 71 percent of DEA employees agreed, but only 58 percent in the US Marshals Service did so.
Current turmoil at the VA is an obviously lesson on the need to get intelligence from front line employees on management problems. In the Department of Veterans Affairs, 69 percent of respondents within the Veterans Health Administration agreed, while in the Veterans Benefits Administration, 61 percent agreed, MSPB said. That’s 39 percent of VHA employees effectively saying their agency discourages them from reporting wrongdoing.
At the EPA, just 49 percent agree reports of wrongdoing are encouraged, and at the bottom of the list was the Department of Housing & Urban Development (43 percent).
