From our offices in the Detroit area, Akeel & Valentine, PLC serves clients nationwide.

From our offices in the Detroit area, Akeel & Valentine, PLC serves clients nationwide.

Whistleblowers: Standing up for what’s Right

by | Feb 7, 2017 | Uncategorized

Whistleblowers get a bad rap and face a lot of challenges with their employment. Luckily, there are ways to protect and defend these courageous agents of ethics.

What is a Whistleblower?

A whistleblower is essentially an employee that witnesses or becomes wise to activities or conduct that is in conflict with a company’s standard of ethics, rules, or regulations, and brings it to the attention of the appropriate party or parties. These violations could include but are not limited to sexual harassment, theft, or illegal activity.

The Problem with Whistleblowing

Unfortunately, it is very common for whistleblowers to face various forms or retaliation or punishment as a result of exposing the unethical or illegal activities of others. These acts of retaliation can very from small snarky side remarks made by fellow employees or be a severe as termination. For this reason, many people feel very apprehensive to speak up in the first place. Especially if you have a family to support and fear that by speaking up, you could lose your job and place your family in financial jeopardy.

Are you a Whistleblower?

If you have had the courage to do the right thing and report the wrong-doings of others in the workplace, then you should be proud of yourself. You may or may not have been nervous to encounter backlash from other employees in the work place. However, the unfortunate side-effect of your good deed more than likely left you with an uncomfortable work situation. Perhaps now you are facing unfair treatment, discrimination, or even termination. If that is the case, you do not have to sit back and take it.

Defending Whistleblowers

As a whistleblower, you still have rights; rights that need to be protected. If your whistleblower claim results in retaliation, you need a seasoned employment attorney to defend your rights. You need lawyers that will aggressively stand up to these bullies and show them who is really in the wrong. You need an ally in this fight that will protect your, empower you, and guide you through every step of the process.

If you are contemplating turning in a fellow employee or employer, already have, or are facing retaliation like wrongful termination for blowing the whistle, a free consultation with a powerful, experienced attorney is your first step in resolving the issue. Just as you were right to blow the whistle, you would be right to seek an employment attorney to defend you.