We all want our business to operate with integrity and we want to ensure our employees feel empowered to be able to report any wrongdoing, inappropriate or illegal behaviour to someone of authority in our company.
In the US, we have a legal right to report if our workplace is unsafe. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Whistleblowing Protection Program enforces over 20 statues (regulations such as asbestos, safe drinking water and pollution acts) which protects employees any form of retaliation after reporting any violations in the workplace.
Employees have rights from retaliation, and this could be when an employer dismisses an employee even when carried out by a manager or supervisor or an adverse action against them.
Examples of Typical Adverse Actions
- Dismissal, firing or laying off staff
- Demotion in their role
- Disciplinary action
- Pay reduction, reduced hours or denial of benefits
- Harassment or intimidation
- Threats
- Denying overtime
- Failure to hire or even re-hire
- Denying promotion at work
There are also more subtle actions such as isolating employees or false accusations of poor work performance, that employer’s managers and supervisors need to be made aware of.
Employees have a right to file a whistleblowing complaint with OSHA if they feel that their employer had taken retaliatory actions against them for raising a complaint or issue.
Whistleblowing in the UK
For companies operating in the UK, employees are automatically protected by law for the following:
- Danger to someone’s health & safety
- A criminal offence such as fraud or theft
- Belief that someone could be covering up wrongdoing
- Risk or damage to the environment
- Company breaking the law
- Miscarriage of justice
