Influence of Employee Morality on Ethical Reporting Behaviour: Whistleblowing Practices as an Anti-Corruption Tool in Nigerian Financial Institutions

Abstract

Despite the widespread adoption of whistleblowing systems as anti-corruption tools in Nigerian financial institutions, little empirical attention has been paid to how employee morality influences ethical reporting behaviour. This study therefore examines the influence of employee morality on ethical reporting behaviour within whistleblowing practices. The study population comprised employees of selected deposit money banks in Nigeria. Using a convenience sampling technique, a sample of 200 employees was drawn, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and simple linear regression were employed for analysis. Findings reveal a significant positive relationship between employee morality and ethical reporting behaviour (r = 0.652, p < 0.01), and regression results confirm that employee morality is a strong, significant predictor (β = 0.652, R² = 0.425, p < 0.01), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. The study concludes that employees with higher moral standards are more likely to engage in ethical reporting, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of whistleblowing systems. It is recommended that financial institutions prioritise ethics training and implement robust, protected whistleblowing channels to foster accountability and transparency.