Considering Whistleblowing On Your Employer?

An employee who became a Whistleblower at one time had to be a really brave individual who could be going out on a limb and risking his job, his career opportunity within the company or even outside it. Any person who considers that his company or one or more of his colleagues are committing acts that against the best interest of the company, their employees, their customers or against the common good, he or she should consider the significance of their acts before taking their findings or theories a stage further.

They should consider the following:

* Is their findings based on fact or supposition?
* Is the person or persons involved in suspicious activities acting alone or are there more people involved?
* If they are totally convinced that dishonest activities are going on in the company, to who should the report it? A company official, the press, tax authorities or the police?
* Should they preserve their anonymity or should they come out into the open with their disclosures?

Nowadays there are series of legislations in effect across the United States relating to the issue of whistleblowing. However they are still pretty spurious and undefined. The accent is towards protecting the interests of the public sector and publicly owned corporations. Anyone working for a privately owned company who suspects that wrong doing is afoot, is not such a strong position, however they do have some level of protection.

Employees who report their employers for wrong doing cannot be fired or even demoted for doing so. In fact, a recent law states that they might even be liable for promotion. While it sounds very fair on paper, it practical terms it is very possible to question the fact these laws could ever be put into practice in the private sector. Any well meaning citizen who witnesses "under the table" or dubious business dealings, should be prepared to seek employment elsewhere or preserve his anonymity before blowing the whistle.

Employees of public companies are in a much stronger position and now have the right to inform the federal government about possible corporate scandals. There have been cases when the whistleblower's suspicions have been proved to be unfounded; however the fact that they reported the situation to their employers for investigation was viewed in a positive light.

These anomalies in the practical application of the law display the problematic issues with whistleblowing between the private and public sectors. Anyone considering whistleblowing, especially those involved in the private sector, depending on the nature of the offense and its urgency might well be advised to consult with a lawyer before bringing their suspicions to the relevant authorities.