What are your rights as a whistleblower?

As a whistleblower you have some significant rights that can help protect you and your job. As a whistleblower, for example, you may not be retaliated against by your employer. Why? You had the courage to say and do the right things, so you should be protected.

California has its own whistle blow laws. These are part of the California Whistleblower Protection Act, which prohibits retaliation against employees who report violations of federal or state laws to the police or other government officials. The laws go on to protect those who report these issues to a supervisor or internal party as well as any external public body that is completing an investigation or hearing.

Can you disclose violations if it’s not your job to do so?

Yes, according to the protections in the state, you can disclose violations even if doing so isn’t a part of your job. That means that if you recognize that fraud is occurring or that there is a problem with how your company is doing business, you do have a right to report that in good faith.

What happens if you’re retaliated against for making a report?

Employers are not allows to retaliate against employees or to prevent employees from disclosing concerns to the local government or police.

If you are retaliated against for making a report to the local government or another party, you have rights under the California Whistleblower Protection Act. The act allows you to seek compensation and claim for any damages that you suffer as a result of the employer’s actions.

This might include collecting lost wages, being reinstated to your job or collecting damages related to any damage that was done to your reputation. The employer may also face misdemeanor charges with a maximum fine of $5,000 for corporations or $1,000 for other businesses.

You have rights as a whistleblower

If you feel that something is wrong in your place of work or you’ve collected evidence of fraud or wrongdoing, you have a right to report those concerns. As long as you do so in good faith, then your rights should be protected by law.