What protections do whistleblower laws give employees?

On Behalf of | Apr 8, 2016 | Whistleblower Protection |

When other people do something wrong, Minnesota residents often feel the need to speak up or protect those who may be in need of help. These types of situations can occur anywhere, including not only in their personal lives but at their place of employment as well.

Unfortunately, some employers may not like it when their employees want to speak up and object to wrongdoing that is occurring at the workplace. For instance, if there are violations of the law occurring, the employer might not want its employees to make known these violations because it can get the employer in trouble for violating the law.

Fortunately, both state and federal law recognizes the value in having employees not feel threatened when they speak up about this sort of wrongdoing. Various statutes provide what is known as whistleblower protection for the employees.

For instance, under Minnesota law, there are recognized employee rights for blowing the whistle about wrongdoing. Employers are prohibited from discharging, disciplining, threatening or otherwise discriminating against employees who report a suspected violation of law in good faith. Likewise, employees are protected if they are requested by a public body or office to participate in an investigation or hearing.

The statute further protects employees who refuse an employer’s order to perform an act they believe violates the law, so long as the employee informs the employer the order is being refused for that reason. There are also situations when an employee who reports significant health care issues at health care facilities will have protection.

Ultimately, employees should be aware of their rights if they are aware of wrongdoing at the workplace. In order to encourage employees to do the right thing ,Minnesota law bars employers from taking action against the employee.

Source: The Office of the Revisor of Statutes, “181.932 Disclosure of Information by Employees,” accessed on April 2, 2016