Cases of insiders calling out unethical conduct, corruption, and other lawbreaking instances happen in different industries—politics, sports, entertainment, fashion, and businesses or offices. Whistleblowers expose these occurrences to put a stop to such damaging and undesirable behavior or suspicious things in a community or organization. They blow the whistle to make things right. However, doing so isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Any witness in these scenarios can turn their hands in a different direction. If shady things are happening in your company and a part of you wants to speak out, but you’re worried about the consequences, this is where the whistleblower law comes into play.
Before we get into what the law entails, let’s define what whistleblowing is first.
What is Whistleblowing?
When a politician receives money from an agency or a business owner in exchange for a favor, such as expediting the passage of goods or granting them the permit for construction, and then an employee discovers it and comes forward in public about it, that is considered an act of whistleblowing. Another example is when employees expose employers’ toxic work culture and misdeeds in a company.
Generally, whistleblowing involves exposing the unlawful or unprofessional conduct of employers, managers, or staff. However, the wrong or illegal deed may also be committed by a customer, service provider, or supplier.
As the name suggests, blowing the whistle means someone alerting the public or authority figure about the perceived misconduct, wrongdoing, fraud, or unethical activity in an organization in the interest of the common good.
Whistleblowing: How Can the Law Protect You?
The whistleblower law aims to protect from retaliation those who speak out against the wrongdoings in an organization. The infographic below breaks down how the whistleblower protection act works and other guidelines that whistleblowers need to follow to legally qualify for law protection.