Monday, May 07, 2012

Another "routine" firing: bank employee dismissed for whistleblowing

"When Linda Almonte alerted her boss at JPMorgan Chase about potential fraud in a major deal she was helping to close, she expected him to applaud her great catch. Instead, he fired her." (source: JPMorgan Chase Whistleblower: 'Essentially Suicide' To Stand Up To Bank) 

I would encourage you to read the full story, to see the extent of the personal devastation that the firing caused. 

Also quoted in the article is Dana Gold, a senior fellow at the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit organization that advocates for whistleblowers: "Employees get fired all the time for blowing the whistle. We see it so much, it's a predictable phenomenon."

Why is it such a predictable phenomenon?  Because the system's the same, ie a dictatorship system.

Moreover, if you're a whistleblower, the agony doesn't just end with being fired. You can't get another job in the same line of business, the one you're qualified for.Linda is quoted saying, "You google me and my name is everywhere. Any company that would hire me will see that. I can never live that down."

Also quoted is Sherron Watkins, the Enron whistleblower: "You won't find someone that is labeled a 'whistleblower' who has been able to return to their original career."

Why can't you get another job after being fired for whistleblowing? The problem is that all companies are dictatorships, and no dictatorship likes to hire dissidents from another dictatorship.

It's gut-wrenching to read stories like these again and again, and again, but until the system changes, we'll unfortunately have more of the same.

(Comments? Email me - cvdhruve (at) gmail.com)