Wishtleblowers play an important role in the workplace. These are the people who see illegal activities in the organization and when the employer of the company violates the law, then, these people will report to the government agencies regarding the violation of law. The violations can be of any kind, like sexual harassment, or general violations like unlawful pollution practices, etc. For this the state and federal government has many laws. The whistleblowers cannot be fired upon complaining against his/her boss. The whistleblowers will get the protection from state, federal laws and this may vary from state to state and country to country. See the below details for more information on state and federal protections.
State law protections for whistleblowers
In order to get protection as a whistleblower they must reach some standards of the state. Then, the state will protect them with general statutes or through a common law barring retaliation or discrimination against the whistleblower. To get qualified as the whistleblower the standards that you should meet are, you should have a good faith that the employer or the employees are violating the law, they must complain regarding the violation to the employer or else outside agency, they should refuse to participate in the violation or you should assist in the investigation of the violation.
Federal law protections for whistleblowers
The federal law has many acts for protecting the whistleblowers who complains about the health hazards and regarding safety in the workplace or to the environment which are caused by the employer. To qualify under this federal laws the whistleblowers must have a good faith that the employer is violating the laws and also must complain to the federal agency or the employer regarding the violation. Then he/she will be protected under the federal laws or acts. If the employee feels that he/she is retaliated for giving the complaint, then they must bring the complaint to the concern authority with in few days or else you can take the help of the attorney who deals with employment laws and who is experienced in it to protect your legal rights as a whistleblower.
The whistleblowers some times can be from inside the organization or else outside or third party. But, these are general protections for the whistleblowers of the organization. The laws may differ for every one and in each country and state. So whistleblowers, be aware of this facts and protect your rights. Educate yourself and it is a important step in blowing a whistle on your employers. This is all about whistleblowers and their protections in both state and federal level.