Can a company retaliate against a whistleblower?
Whistleblowers will always be subject to retaliation by the accused company, which is the reason why specific laws have been passed in an effort to protect them. Retaliation against whistleblowers needs to involve an unfavorable employer action, such as:
Is it legal to blow the whistle on an employer?
The law gives certain statutory protections to workers who ‘blow the whistle’, which can make employers feel as though their hands are tied. However, there are a number of requirements that workers must satisfy before they qualify for this protection.
What happens to the career of a whistle blower?
Unfortunately the professional career of whistleblowers is usually broken as well, since finding a new job becomes next to impossible. Blowing the whistle is seen as an act of disloyalty, which is not a trait employers look for. Many whistleblowers go bankrupt in the years that follow, since they lose their job and are unable to find a new one.
What happens if you get a whistleblower award?
Public disclosure may disqualify legal whistleblower protection and awards, and is a huge strain on the future professional and personal life of the person blowing the whistle. When an employee obtains knowledge of some sort of wrongdoing at the company, thorough thought must be given to what action he/she will take.
What happens if you blow the whistle on an employer?
Blowing the whistle is a legally protected act and affords the employee protections under federal law. Any adverse actions taken in retaliation by an employer is treated as a separate violation and potential case. What is considered whistleblower retaliation?
Are there any out of court settlements for whistleblowers?
For example, SEC whistleblowers are entitled to an award of 10-30% of the money recovered. Out of court settlements are not very common in whistleblower cases.
What do you need to know about whistleblower retaliation?
The first thing to know is that whistleblowing and retaliation claims are two separate things. Blowing the whistle is a legally protected act and affords the employee protections under federal law.
Are there whistleblower laws in the private sector?
“That is a big problem, because most employees, at least at the initial stages of a whistleblower situation, get it wrong, because there are over 50 whistleblower protection laws in the private sector, and they are all different,” says Stephen M. Kohn, partner at Washington, D.C.-based Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto.