Whistleblowing Impact

Management Discipline Research Seminar

Management Discipline Research Seminar
Wednesday, 19th March 2025, 3:00 to 4:30 PM, CA239E, Deloitte Zone, BizHub

On Wednesday, 19th March 2025, the Management Discipline Research Seminar took place, featuring two prominent speakers who addressed critical topics on human resource management and the prevention of workplace harassment.

1. Prof. Susan Stewart (Western Illinois University)
   Sexual Harassment of Teenage Workers: A Call for Research and Organizational Action
   Prof. Susan Stewart presented research on sexual harassment directed at teenage workers, a topic often overlooked compared to harassment towards adults. During her talk, she reviewed the rights and responsibilities of teenage workers in the workplace, as well as the psychological and physical effects of harassment. She also shared examples of recent court cases in the U.S. and presented her work on a training module specifically designed for young workers, suggesting future areas for research and organizational action.

2. Bashir Alao (University of Galway)
   Whistleblowing and Human Resource Management: Insights into Retaliation, Workplace Alienation, and Employee Participation
   Bashir Alao discussed how retaliation against whistleblowers undermines organizational transparency. His presentation explored the intersection between human resource policies and the experiences of whistleblowers, offering proposals for HR interventions such as anonymous reporting channels and ethical leadership, aimed at reducing retaliation and promoting a culture of accountability within organizations.

Speaker Biographies:

• Prof. Susan Stewart is a Professor at Western Illinois University specializing in Human Resource Management. Her research focuses on counterproductive workplace behaviors, particularly sexual harassment of teenage workers. She has published extensively on the subject and has been quoted in media outlets such as Teen Vogue and Barron’s. She is an active member of various professional organizations, including the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

• Bashir Alao is a PhD student at the University of Galway, where his research focuses on whistleblowing systems, laws, ethics, and organizational behavior, with a comparative study between Ireland and Nigeria. In addition to being a chartered accountant, he has authored more than ten articles on corporate accountability and transparency.