Whistleblowers and retaliation: Know how to protect your legal rights

No one wants to blow the whistle on their employer, but if it’s the right thing to do you must strongly consider taking action. Despite the fact that you have concerns about retaliation, doing the right thing is always more important.

As you proceed, you must turn some of your attention toward protecting your employment status and legal rights. It’s the steps you take after becoming a whistleblower that will decide what happens next.

Here are some things you can do:

• Understand federal and state whistleblower laws: Before blowing the whistle, become familiar with the many laws in place to protect you. These will give you a better idea of what to expect, while also helping you pinpoint any illegal activity against you.
• Take good notes: It’s imperative that you take good notes, while keeping them in a safe place. If you have a conversation with someone at your company, make note of it. If you discuss the case with law enforcement, write down everything. As time goes by, it’s easy to lose track of what you did and didn’t say. That’s where good notes will help.
• Know what retaliation looks like: Even though it’s against the law for your employer to retaliate against you for blowing the whistle on them, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Retaliation takes on many forms, such as termination, demotion or a pay cut.
• Collect evidence associated with retaliation: If you suspect retaliation, you should collect as much evidence as available. This will help back up your claim should you want to take legal action against your employer. Any type of evidence, even something that appears inconsequential, should be kept in a safe place.

There is nothing simple about becoming a whistleblower, which is why some people turn the other way and hope that everything works out for the best. But if you’re the type of person who always does the right thing, you may find yourself stepping up to the table.

If your whistleblower claim results in retaliation by your employer, don’t wait to learn more about your legal rights and take steps to protect them.