Anyone with inside knowledge of illegal and unethical behavior occurring within an organization who reports that behavior is considered a whistleblower. Whistleblowers are often employees, contractors, or clients of an organization, but can be anyone with knowledge of wrongdoing.
There are several laws in place to protect whistleblowers against retaliation for their actions. These laws are critical for creating a safe environment for people to come forward and help minimize wrongdoing by increasing the risk of violators being reported. If an employer retaliated against you for reporting impropriety a Boston workplace retaliation lawyer can help you.
Protections for Whistleblowers
Federal employees who blow the whistle on wrongdoing receive protection under the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989.
Others receive protection from various programs enacted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
These protections are critical for ensuring that people who witness wrongdoing can feel safe to come forward and report unlawful actions. Whistleblower protections help ensure that employers don’t take retaliatory action against employees, including:
- Terminating employment
- Demoting the employee
- Assigning the employee to undesirable work duties
- Cutting the employee’s pay
- Cutting the employee’s hours
- Giving the employee bad performance reviews
There are a variety of other negative actions employers commonly take against their employees in response to whistleblowing. If you were fired for blowing the whistle on misconduct, an experienced Boston wrongful termination lawyer can help you take legal action to recover compensation from the at-fault party.
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Rewards for Whistleblowers
In addition to providing protection to whistleblowers to encourage them to come forward and report misconduct, the government can also, in certain cases, offer financial rewards to them. Most of the time, financial rewards are allocated as a percentage of the money recovered by the government or regulating agency due to the whistleblower’s information.
Typically, the information provided by the whistleblower must be unique, and enough money will need to be recovered to justify a reward. An experienced attorney can help you identify if an award is available and ensure you recover the money you are entitled to collect.
Reporting Misconduct to the Proper Agency
There are many different organizations with whom you may be able to report misconduct. Identifying the right organization for the type of misconduct you observed is important to ensure your complaint is handled properly.
If reporting on environmental or worker safety violations, you might want to contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). For misconduct related to securities law violations, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is a good place to file a complaint.
You can also choose to file a complaint internally if you believe the misconduct is limited to lower-level employees. However, if you are unsure of who is involved in the activities or believe that high-level officials within the company are responsible, reporting the wrongdoing to an outside regulating agency is likely going to be a better solution.
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Anonymous Whistleblowing
Even with protections and potential rewards for whistleblowers, many people are still apprehensive about reporting misconduct. Fortunately, you can always make an anonymous tip to a regulating authority about unlawful or unethical conduct.
Unfortunately, your company may still be able to figure out who made the tip if there were a limited number of people who had knowledge of the wrongdoing. Anytime you are considering blowing the whistle on misconduct, it is a good idea to reach out to an experienced Boston whistleblower protection lawyer who can help protect your rights.
An experienced attorney will help ensure that your employer does not take any retaliatory action against you for blowing the whistle, along with helping you recover any potential reward you may be eligible to collect for reporting the misconduct.
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Get Help From an Experienced Attorney Today
Whistleblowing can be a challenging experience. In addition to facing worries about retaliation from your employer, you may also gain local, national, or even worldwide recognition, depending on the severity of the misconduct you are exposing.
At Duddy, Goodwin & Pollard, we will fight for your rights and ensure you are protected when blowing the whistle on misconduct. Our experienced legal team knows how difficult it can be to report on your employer or coworkers, and we are here to offer you the support you need and help you respond to any retaliatory action by your employer.
Contact us today by giving us a call or completing our online contact form and schedule a free case review with a member of our legal team. We’ll answer any questions you may have, advise you of your legal rights, and help ensure you are protected.
Call or text (860) 999-9394 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form