Imagine this: you are a worker in the state of Florida who finds some type of wrongdoing within your company. You have a few options. You can act like you don’t know what is going on, or you can bring the problem to light.
The easy thing to do is act like you don’t know what is going on. Of course, this isn’t always in the best interest of the company or anybody who is being harmed as the result of the behavior.
If you decide to blow the whistle on your employer, you need to know your rights. In Florida, just the same as most other states, there are laws in place to protect whistleblowers. Both public and private employers are protected by law, which states that companies are not permitted to take “retaliatory personnel action” against a worker because the person has disclosed or plans to disclose a violation of the law to a government agency.
The law has a special section for public employees, noting that these workers cannot be terminated, disciplined or treated unfairly for reporting a violation of federal or state law that dangers the public’s welfare, safety or health.
Before you decide to blow the whistle on your company, it is essential to understand the finer details associated with both state and federal laws. This will allow you to move forward in the appropriate manner, ensuring that you don’t jeopardize your employment along the way. Florida state whistleblower laws are in place to protect employees, while also giving employers the information they need to make legal personnel decisions.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, “State Whistleblower Laws,” accessed May. 04, 2015
