Volkswagen (VW), is seemingly giving their blessing to whistleblowers. They are urging employees with information about the emissions scandal to blow the whistle before November 30th so that they do not lose their job or face damage claims.
VW brand chief Herbert Diess sent a letter to employees letting them know that union employees who contacted internal investigators would be exempt from dismissal, although this does not apply to managers. Although some employees, per this letter, would be exempt from being dismissed, they wouldn’t be exempt from the possibility of being transferred to another position with different duties.
A few months ago it was revealed that VW cars were producing approximately 40 times the nitrous oxide emissions legally allowed in the United States. The German car manufacturer is now under investigation by American law firm, Jones Day. VW has yet to produce an explanation as to what happened or who in the company is responsible.
Diess’ letter urged employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements to get in touch promptly, but no later than November 30th, 2015. Unfortunately for whistleblowers, VW can protect their jobs but the company cannot protect their employees from criminal charges.
This is the reason human resource experts feel as though some employees will feel overwhelmed and confused over if or how they should act. It is expected that most of higher management probably knew what was going on behind the scenes and neglected to say anything due to reputation.
HR experts also feel as though there is a double-edged sword for whistleblowers that do come forward in this case. Although they won’t necessarily be losing their jobs, they can be charged criminally which to most people is worse. It is more of an ultimatum and less about employee rights. It is only fair to assume that some lower-level employees who knew about the emissions were bullied into remaining quiet. Although they are not any less guilty than any other person who chose to remain quiet the question remains whether they should be held as accountable as those in higher power.
