Seeking Social Sustainability in the Palm Oil Supply Chain: An Assessment of Whistleblowing Intentions in an Indonesian Setting

Whistleblowing has long been an effective method of exposing wrongdoing and unethical practices in organizations. However, it has not been widely studied as a mechanism for identifying social issues in supply chains, such as modern slavery taking place in controversial sectors, including the palm oil industry in Indonesia, the key region for the global palm oil industry. Therefore, a large‐scale survey with employees working in the palm oil plantation sector was conducted to assess employees' reactions and behavioral responses to a modern slavery scenario. A hypothetical scenario was created, asking employees to position themselves as a witness to a situation related to human exploitation and forced labor in their workplace. The findings confirm a direct positive relationship between the perceived seriousness of wrongdoing (PSW) and the intention to leave and report, where PSW related to modern slavery prompted observers to opt out before speaking up. This paper advances the debate on tackling modern slavery by addressing this issue from both a whistleblowing and an employees' sensemaking perspective.