In the course of your workday, you discover something that seems unhealthy or unsafe for the employees or consumers of your company. You may have information about contaminated food, vehicles not being properly maintained, unethical accounting procedures, not paying employees, not paying taxes, or violations of OSHA standards. These are all potential reasons for whistle-blowing — the term we use when an employee reports a civil violation committed by his or her employer. If you have been fired for filing a complaint, or need to lawfully reveal a company’s wrongdoing, we can help.
But do you blow the whistle? Is this situation illegal or unethical enough to risk all this? Or should you be loyal to the company and pretend none of this is happening?
You decide to blow the whistle and as a result, your employer takes action against you such as harassment or threats, isolation, demoting you, transferring you to an undesirable work location, assigning new and undesirable duties, reducing your benefits or pay, giving you an undeserved poor performance review, or firing you. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, you can make a lawful claim as a result of this work retaliation.
It takes a lot of courage to report wrongdoing in the workplace. Know how to prepare yourself and what to expect by talking to an attorney. We have helped guide employees through the process of filing a whistle-blower claim and/or filing a retaliation claim. It is not easy to arrive at the decision to blow the whistle, or suffer the ramifications of retaliation. An experienced lawyer at your side can help.