Actions of crime occur in all environments, including workplaces; it is wrongdoing that statutes community punishment and accusation. Offenses tremendously affect both an individual and the public and are condemned by either the state or relevant authorities. The types of crimes are; violent crimes, consensual crimes, white-collar crimes, organized crimes, and property crimes (Warner et al., 2016). Each type of offense has its way of getting punished. Common causes of these crimes are; poverty, politics, drugs, peer pressure, unemployment, cultures, religions, and family conditions. It is, therefore, needful to discuss white crimes and how the whistleblower protection program can help and protect the affected employees.
White-collar crimes are offenses committed in workplaces that are aimed at financial benefits and are nonviolent. It is committed by trusted employees, government officials, or businesses of that organization through betrayals. Forms of white-collar crimes are; counterfeiting, fraud, embezzlement, espionage, organized crimes, insider trading, money laundering, bankruptcy, schemes, extortion, cybercrime, bribery, identity theft, and environmental crime (Warner et al., 2016). However, white-collar crimes can either be individual or corporate.
White-collar crimes are caused by several factors, and the advancement in technology has led to several instances of these offenses through hacking. Poor leadership leads to white-collar crimes since the employees lack empowerment, conducive working environments, and proper supervision. White-collar crimes are caused by influence from other employees or peers. Additionally, corporate greed leads to instances of white-collar crimes (Cliff & Wall-Parker, 2017). These transgressions are committed due to personal gain for power or richness. Competition between organizations or individuals leads to white-collar crimes. Moreover, the lack of clear laws in organizations accelerates these offenses.
The whistleblower program initiated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers space for the employees to raise complaints about their workplaces (“Occupatioanal safety and health administration,” n.d.). These protests are raised based on the wistleblower protection laws that OSHA enforces. The complaints can be on various cases such as anti-money laundry, health insurance reforms, consumer product, safety and health, among other related protected activities (Cliff & Wall-Parker, 2017). The protests are raised under the whistleblower protection laws enforced by OSHA. This can be done online, by telephone, by email, or as an individual in any type of language.
The whistleblower program benefits the employees who take part in white-collar crimes in various ways. The employer is restricted to act upon the offense if the employee has raised complaints. Actions by employers concerning white-collar jobs are based on the program (Cliff & Wall-Parker, 2017). The program is beneficial to the employees more than the employers. The program has various laws that have specific days of filing the complaint after retaliation by the employers. Additionally, depending on the violation, the law restricts to the various fields. Action s acted depending on the type of laws and the steps followed, such as filing on the said days. Employees take advantage of the program and benefit when they are accused of white-collar crimes in their workplaces.
Remarkably, white-collar crimes are committed by members of the organization. Remitting these offenses is vital because of its adverse influence on victims, society, and the economy. In essence, organizations need restrictions to prevent the occurrence of these crimes. Moreover, they can enforce policies and laws to guide the employee. Employers can set boundaries for the employees and restrain their working environments. Leaders in organizations have to be keener and ensure they carry out investigations periodically for the records.
References
Cliff, G., & Wall-Parker, A. (2017). Statistical analysis of white-collar crime. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Web.
Warner, D., Mayer, D., Siedel, G., & Lieberman, J. K. (2016). The legal and ethical environment of business 1.0. Web.
Occupatioanal safety and health administration. (n.d.). United States Department of labor. Web.