Employees have to be able to count on having the safest work conditions possible. This means that safety requirements are met and illegal activities aren’t present in the workplace. For some, the reality at work is that they have to deal with unsafe situations and illegal activities. Those employees may opt to speak out about the issues at work, which is known as whistleblowing.
Some people are scared to speak up because they worry about retaliation by their employer. This is an illegal action, so it shouldn’t ever happen. Despite that, it still occurs more often than people may realize.
What is retaliation?
Retaliation is any negative employment action by the employer that is based on a protected activity, such as whistleblowing. This can include obvious retaliatory measures, such as termination or wage cuts. It can also include more subtle retaliation, like failing to alert the employee about a critical meeting or bypassing them for a big project.
In order to have protection from retaliation, the whistleblower must have made a factual report. The protection extends only to negative employment actions that are directly attributed to the whistleblowing. This means that employees can still face disciplinary measures if they break company policies or procedures. In those cases, the action must be the same as what anyone would face if they had the same infraction.
Anyone who’s dealing with retaliation at work should understand their rights. It may be beneficial to keep records of what’s happening because those may be helpful if legal action is necessary. Working with someone who can assist with these matters may also be beneficial because these cases can sometimes become complex.