With the number of people who are fired or denied workplace privileges for being whistleblowers rising, many people watch unlawful acts without doing a thing about them. The law is very complicated in matters regarding whistleblowing, but there is a way it also protects such persons.
Not all whistleblowers know that they enjoy protection from the law and many end up enduring hardship at the workplace after speaking up. It is not right to watch unethical practices, violation of the law, corruption, workplace hazards, and waste of funds taking place in an organization and doing nothing about it. There are laws put in place to protect whistleblowers against retaliation actions such as.
- Firing them for their actions
- Any forms of disciplining
- Reducing their pay
- Denying them benefits
- Demoting them as punishment
The U.S Department of Labor and its divisions have put in place several laws that protect whistleblowers directly. They also have various provisions protecting the employees that report law violation or refusing to engage in any actions that they deem unlawful.
Employees have the right to file claims if they suspect that their employers are retaliating against their whistleblowing actions. There are Federal acts and statues, especially the Sarbanes-Oxley Act states that a person who interferes with a whistleblower commits a federal offense that attracts imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine.
If a whistleblower is wrong about the allegations against the employer, the law still protects them. They, however, need to have strong arguments that can prove their employer’s misconduct even though they were wrong about it.