Employee Rights – Whistleblower and Retaliation Protection
Have you stood up to your employer when faced with what you believed was an instruction to engage in unlawful or unethical behavior? Were you subjected to conduct in the workplace you felt was offensive and thereafter contacted someone in Human Resources in an effort to address and remedy the situation? Subsequent to standing up to your boss or objecting to that conduct, did you suffer negative consequences at work? Your rights may have been violated.
Employers who retaliate against their employees by firing, demoting, harassing, or otherwise negatively changing an employee’s work environment, such as cutting hours or changing schedules, are subject to significant penalties. Employer retaliation can take many forms. You may be terminated for complaining or objecting to unlawful activities in the workplace — harassment, discrimination, or the employer’s violation of law. But termination is not required — if your hours have been cut, you have been written up, had your pay decreased, or are denied training or promotion opportunities following a legally protected activity, you may have suffered actionable retaliation. This is sometimes known as “whistleblower retaliation.” In addition, you are protected under the law if you have been retaliated against at work because you pursue proper payment of wages, overtime compensation or other benefits.
Remedies exist to protect your employment rights and significant penalties may be available to you if you have a valid claim for retaliation. If you believe you have such a claim, please take the time to fill out our Potential New Client Information and Fact Sheet or Call Us Today.
