There are various laws that protect workers from the misconduct of employers. Federal statutes establish the right to overtime and numerous rules for workplace safety. New Jersey also has laws that govern the relationships between businesses and the people working for those companies.
Occasionally, employees come to realize that a business has violated their rights or the law. They may then feel like they must take action. Whistleblower statutes may apply to those who speak up about certain workplace concerns.
Workers should not have to worry about retaliation
There are numerous types of employee conduct that have protection under the law. For example, employees can report harassment or discrimination to employers without worrying about retaliation. They can ask for medical accommodations or unpaid leave if they qualify.
They can also work with one another to organize. Beyond that, they can notify either management within the company or regulatory officials about concerning safety or regulatory violations. A worker who speaks up about workplace safety issues or violations of the law is potentially a whistleblower. Both those who alert management within the company and those who notify outside authorities, such as government agencies, have the protection extended to whistleblowers.
What do whistleblower protections provide?
New Jersey law ensures that those who act as whistleblowers should not have to worry about retaliation or punishment from an employer for doing the right thing. If a worker reports a violation of safety standards to the appropriate regulatory agency, that decision may make them a whistleblower.
If the company penalizes them for speaking up, they may have the right to take legal action. Whistleblower protections may also benefit those who realize that a company has violated the law. Perhaps there are illegal billing practices at a medical facility or fraud occurring at a financial institution. Bringing that to the attention of management or outside authorities can also make a worker a whistleblower.
They should not have to worry about the company punishing them for doing so. Often, whistleblower protection is useful because it offers a form of recourse for workers who lose their jobs or other types of penalties. Those who believe an employer has retaliated against them for acting as a whistleblower can potentially take legal action against the company.
Proper documentation of the initial issue, the worker’s actions as a whistleblower and the company’s reaction are all important when developing a viable whistleblower retaliation claim. Learning more about how the law protects those who stand up for their rights may benefit workers who are concerned about job security in New Jersey.
