Finding the right whistleblower protection laws in Minnesota

On Behalf of | Sep 20, 2017 | Whistleblower Protection |

When most Minnesota residents get up and go to work in the morning, they aren’t thinking about what they would do if they found out that their employer was breaking the law. For most people, they just want to do their job, do it well and provide for their family. But, what happens if you do find yourself in a position where you discover that your employer is violating the law? In this type of situation, it is important to know that you will likely be protected by the law if you inform the proper authorities about the illegal conduct.

These so-called “whistleblower” protections are actually quite common in federal law. For instance, several environmental laws have protections for employees who report employers who are violating laws by creating safety or health hazards in the workplace, or employers who are damaging the environment in some way.

So, what are the protections that employees can benefit from under these types of laws? Well, the most important protection is that an employer cannot retaliate against an employee who reports illegal behavior. These is a strong protection that incentivizes employees to report illegal conduct, while maintaining their ability to earn a living.

Beyond federal law, there are state law protections in many places as well, not just in Minnesota. The main thing is that employees who believe they might need to report illegal conduct will likely want to seek more information about the legal protections they have, possibly under state and federal law. Once they have that information, they will know the right course of action to take.