Whistle­blow­ing is one of the most pow­er­ful tools for expos­ing ille­gal activ­i­ties in the work­place. Employ­ees who report mis­con­duct, fraud, or safe­ty vio­la­tions help keep busi­ness­es account­able, but they also risk retal­i­a­tion. Fed­er­al and state laws offer pro­tec­tions for whistle­blow­ers, ensur­ing they can report wrong­do­ing with­out fear of los­ing their jobs. Let’s break down what both employ­ees and employ­ers should know about whistle­blow­er protections.

What Is a Whistleblower?

A whistle­blow­er is an employ­ee who reports unlaw­ful or uneth­i­cal behav­ior with­in a com­pa­ny. Com­mon types of whistle­blow­ing include:

• Report­ing fraud or finan­cial mis­con­duct (e.g., secu­ri­ties fraud, tax evasion).
• Report­ing unsafe work­ing con­di­tions or OSHA violations.
• Dis­clos­ing dis­crim­i­na­tion or harass­ment in vio­la­tion of employ­ment laws.
• Expos­ing gov­ern­ment con­tract fraud or mis­use of pub­lic funds.

Con­tin­ue read­ing Work­place Whistle­blow­er Pro­tec­tions: What Employ­ees and Employ­ers Need to Know →