Whistleblowing refers to an instance where a company’s employee exposes their employer for fraudulent, dishonest, or illegal behavior. Whistleblowing may also be defined as “making a disclosure in the public interest.”
Disclosing wrongdoing done by a company may be done within the company to the manager or externally to a local authority or even to the media. A lot of people are scared of exposing wrongdoing for fear of losing their job or being victimized. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, you can consult with an attorney, such as whistleblower attorney Ravi Sattiraju. There may be the different state and federal laws applicable to your situation that will protect you from retaliation by your employer.
How Does One Whistleblow?
A whistleblower attorney protects the interest of a whistleblower so that he/she can speak out without fear of getting fired if they discover any illegal or immoral wrongdoing in the company they work at. The employee is protected if they reveal information to the right person and in the right way.
The disclosure needs to be made in the public interest and not as blackmail to your employer for you to get a promotion. Some types of disclosures that are covered by the law include:
- Criminal offenses
- Miscarriage of justice
- Destruction of the environment
- Failing to comply with a legal obligation
- Putting the employees’ health and safety at risk
What are the benefits of whistleblowing?
Whistleblowing can be seen as good for these reasons:
- The wrongdoing exposed could have caused the company to incur huge losses or other forms of damages if it had gone undetected.
- A company that supports its employees to voice their concerns is less likely to suffer from the fallout of external whistleblowing.
What are the dangers of whistleblowing?
Some of the disadvantages of whistleblowing to a company include:
- A high likelihood of damaging the company’s reputation in the eyes of the public as any kind of wrongdoing, when exposed publicly, reflects poorly on its reputation.
- The potential financial expenses related to paying for court cases, fines, or compensation payouts.
- In some cases, the accused perpetrators could face criminal charges and jail time.
Conclusion
If an employee who’s covered by the whistleblowing protections gets fired for exposing any wrongdoing at work, they should make a claim for unfair dismissal. You should also hire an attorney if you’re victimized or suffer any detrimental treatment. For example, if you are demoted, denied training opportunities, or denied a promotion, you should talk with an attorney about making a claim against your employer. Keep in mind that for the disclosure to be valid, it has to be made in good faith.