Most employees in Minnesota are hard workers who believe in integrity, fairness and doing the right thing. Moreover, they may also hold their employers to the same standards, expecting that their employers will not break the law. Unfortunately, employers are not always so upstanding. Some employers break the law.
For example, an employer may fail to pay legally required overtime. An employer might also purposefully misclassify workers in order to illegally avoid paying workers benefits or for other types of financial gain. In addition, employers may falsify financial documents, such as loans or banking information. Also, employees might try to cover up undocumented employees or engage in Medicare billing fraud.
Finding out that your employer has engaged in illegal activity is never a good situation to be in. Employees in such situations may want to stand up for the right thing and report such activities to the appropriate authorities. However, they may fear that doing so will result in retaliation or even cause them to lose their jobs. However, state and federal law has protections for employees in such situations.
That being said, “blowing the whistle” on your employer may not be easy, even if it is the right thing to do. Unfortunately, whistleblowers are sometimes unjustly punished by their employers. When this happens, employees may want to seek legal help to better understand their rights as a whistleblower.
The legal team at John A. Klassen, PA, has helped many whistleblowers who have been retaliated against by their employers seek compensation. Compensation sought may include recovery for emotional distress and lost wages. In some cases, employees may even seek punitive damages. The firm’s overview of whistleblower protections may be a good resource of information for those who want to learn more about their rights as employees to report their employer’s illegal actions.