How to Go About Whistleblowing

If you want to inform the authorities about your manager or employer due to any unlawful reason, then you must know how to go about whistleblowing properly before you consult your lawyer. The reason can either be sexual harassment, racial discrimination, non-payment of your pay check or retaliation with you as a whistleblower. Some tips are provided here to help in this regard.

Always remain alert: Whenever you suspect that the communication you received indicates towards some illegal activity then you should write about it in a personal diary. In case such information is in the form of an email, you should save it as a hard copy so that you can use it later on as evidence.

Consult an attorney: When you suspect something illegal is happening around you then you should confirm whether it’s legal or not to help you by seeking the advice of an experienced attorney. They can help you report about it more effectively.

File an informal complaint to your immediate boss: Sometimes your immediate boss or supervisor can help you in this respect if he/she is honest and law abiding. You can file an informal report with him/her and keep it as a record, whether your complaint is in writing or oral.

Avoid taping conversation: If you overhear suspicious conversations between your supervisor or manager and someone else then you should never try to record it to use as evidence. Normally tape recording of a private conversation is considered illegal and even a criminal act according to the law of various states.

Avoid doing some silly and illegal things: If you expect that during proceedings the person, against whom you have filed the complaint, will threaten you or will try to dirty your name by presenting the facts they have at their disposal, then you should avoid doing silly things like violating any of the company’s policies.

You should go on doing your work as usual, as your activities will also be under the microscope. Your each and every step may be monitored by the suspected person or his/her conspirators so they can blame you for illegal activities like fighting at the workplace, disobedience, or failure to meet deadlines and terminate you. They will not leave any stone unturned to convince the judge that your termination has nothing to do with the complaint against him/her.

So, while whistleblowing you should remain alert and have a legal opinion help you with your findings. You should do your duties as usual without giving any chance to your manager or employer to evaluate your negative performance and demote or fire you.