Professionals generally want to maintain positive relationships with their employers. However, when they discover issues within the company, they may feel the need to take action. Some people become whistleblowers due to safety concerns. They recognize that company practices put them or their coworkers at risk of potentially devastating injuries.
Some professionals might learn that a company has violated the law. They may want to warn professionals within the company’s hierarchy about their concerns or notify regulatory agencies. Technically, those who report their concerns internally or externally become whistleblowers. Whistleblowers have protection under the law, but they often need to be assertive to actually make use of those protections.
What steps can whistleblowers take to limit a likelihood of personal setbacks for doing the right thing?
1. Consulting with an attorney
Discussing workplace safety concerns or possible regulatory violations with a professional can help workers determine if the circumstances truly warrant whistleblowing. An attorney can also provide a worker with insight into the most effective ways to protect themselves throughout the whistle-blowing process and can advocate for the employee throughout the process.
2. Gathering adequate documentation
Whistleblowers need protection from employer retaliation. Companies might demote, transfer or even fire workers who draw attention to unsafe working conditions and illegal activity. In some cases, there may even be internal cover-ups that attempt to eliminate evidence of prior safety issues and regulatory violations. Collecting evidence of the issue that forces a worker to act as a whistleblower can help them prove that their conduct made them a whistleblower and, therefore, that their employer engaged in unlawful retaliation.
3. Choosing the right method
Those intending to act as whistleblowers often need to keep their cards close to the chest until they finally take action. There are multiple forms of whistleblowing, each of which has benefits and drawbacks. An attorney may be able to help a prospective whistleblower choose the right option. Reporting the matter internally could be beneficial in cases where leadership may not be aware of what happens on job sites or in certain departments. Involving regulatory authorities may be necessary when the company has consistently made the same mistakes for years.
If the situation involves fraudulent billing, then the whistleblower might even need to consider filing a lawsuit on behalf of the government. The right whistleblowing method can increase the chances of the company taking the matter seriously and reduce the risk for the professional.
Learning more about how state and federal employment statutes protect whistleblowers can be critical for those concerned about certain issues at their place of employment. Whistleblowers can benefit from protection under the law if they follow the right steps and know how to effectively assert themselves.
