TITLE:
Bullied after Blowing the Whistle: An Integrative Literature Review
AUTHORS:
Chamari L. Edirisinghe, Karawita Arachchige Akalanka Nuwan Thilakarathna
KEYWORDS:
Whistle-Blowing, Bullying at Work, Bullying after Whistle-Blowing, Sri Lankan Legal Perspective
JOURNAL NAME:
Beijing Law Review,
Vol.12 No.4,
December
15,
2021
ABSTRACT: Whistle-blowing and bullying at work appear widely in research literature in a variety of disciplines. This paper intends to give directions for future researchers by connecting the two academic fields of whistle-blowing and bullying at work together. This article also discusses bullying at work as a repercussion of whistle-blowing from a Sri Lankan legal perspective. The paper explains empirical research on the connection between whistle-blowing and bullying at work, and elaborates the extent to which Sri Lankan legal system could be utilized to protect those from getting bullied for blowing the whistle. Empirical research has documented the link between whistle-blowing and bullying at work. However, the review also found that a concise definition for whistle-blowing and bullying at work place was not available in the literature. Also, from a legal perspective while the existing legal regime in Sri Lanka may offer some form of protection for the whistle-blowers under the Witnesses protection scheme, it is insufficient to protect whistle-blowers from bullying at workplace. Implications for practice are as follows: first, to provide clear examples of organizational wrongdoing which considered under whistle-blowing and second, to strengthen existing legal framework in Sri Lanka which can be utilized to safeguard the whistle-blowers from possible retaliation of bulling at work. Future studies on bullying at work are encouraged to be aware of the link to potential previous whistle-blowing. This paper provides valuable information for researchers and practitioners in the field of workplace behavior in general and in the field of management and legal in particular.