Hidden in plain sight: the bystander effect and the mobilisation of modern slavery whistleblowing

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide new insight into the modern slavery threat and to enhance its detection in supply chains by understanding and addressing barriers to whistleblowing. A broad definition of a whistle-blower is adopted, which includes any witness internal or external to an organisation. Design/methodology/approach This is a viewpoint paper that includes using news reports and other secondary data sources on a recent modern slavery scandal in garment factories in Leicester, UK and the lens of the bystander effect from the social psychology literature. The core focus is on whistleblowing by members of the local community in which an operation or supply chain is embedded. Findings The phenomenon of modern slavery being an “open secret” within the local community is highlighted. But rather than the case being characterised by widespread whistleblowing, the problem only came into full focus when poor working conditions and forced labour during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions contributed to the spread of the virus. It is argued that overcoming this “bystander effect” can lead to the greater mobilisation of modern slavery whistleblowing. Research limitations/implications Two sets of propositions and a conceptual model are provided and seven future research suggestions are outlined, including extending the present study to whistleblowing by victims and other internal members of an organisation or supply chain. Practical implications If it can be mobilised, then whistleblowing has the potential to be an important part of detecting modern slavery, either temporarily replacing audits where they are not possible due to social distancing restrictions or directing the use of limited auditing resources to high-risk factories. In this way, combinations of practices can be effectively used to tackle the threat. Social implications This contributes to addressing an important societal problem and one of the grandest challenges facing modern-day supply chains. This, it has been argued, is an even bigger problem now than ever before given the economic and market conditions created by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Originality/value This is the first paper to focus on operationalising the practice of whistleblowing as a source of greater supply chain intelligence to aid modern slavery detection. Causes of the bystander effect include the perceived low-emergency threat of modern slavery, the high-ambiguity environment, a low bystander responsibility and low assistance/intervention incentive. Countermeasures include elevating the emergency status of modern slavery, creating a shared sense of responsibility for tackling the problem, having clear reporting channels and taking swift and consistent action when instances of modern slavery are detected.

The impact of the UK's Modern Slavery Act (2015) on the disclosure of FTSE 100 companies

“…Firstly, a crucial requirement to achieve social sustainability is that a corporation should not violate human rights, especially in relation to modern slavery. Modern slavery should be considered as a form of social sustainability risk (Stevenson, 2022). This is highlighted in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which provides a framework to help businesses and governments strive for a higher standard of sustainability, increasing pressure on businesses to commit to eradicating modern slavery (Christ & Burritt, 2018).…”

Institutional Logics in the UK Construction Industry’s Response to Modern Slavery Risk: Complementarity and Conflict

“…The role of the complex nature of globalized supply chains is now taken for granted in discussions of modern slavery (e.g. Meehan & Pinnington, 2021 ; Stevenson, 2022 ; Voss et al, 2019 ). Even the architect of MSA, Theresa May, stated early in her tenure as UK Prime Minster that modern slavery was a “vile and systematic international business model” (May, 2016 , emphasis added ).…”

“…The less severe practices in the continuum might not involve the absence of liberty, in the sense of direct coercion, but can include issues such as non-payment or under-payment of workers. This range is represented, respectively, by recent cases of widespread abuses of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China (Kriebitz & Max, 2020 ) and at Boohoo’s supplier factories in the UK (Stevenson, 2022 ). These have highlighted risks at home and abroad and brought increased scrutiny on firms.…”

Socially responsible operations in the Industry 4.0 era: post-COVID-19 technology adoption and perspectives on future research

“…Traditionally, SROP has been difficult to measure and track (Nikolakis et al, 2018), and examples of scandals globally prove this point. The recent case of the fast fashion retailer Boohoo.com, where its suppliers sub-contracted work to "sweatshops" in Leicester, UK (Stevenson, 2021), and the infamous Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh (Jacobs and Singhal, 2017) are examples of such scandals in the developed and developing world that have led to a renewed emphasis on social responsibility. This has contributed to stakeholders demanding more disclosure and transparency in supply chain processes (Hasle and Vang, 2021).…”