Retaliation against whistleblowers is on the rise, according to a report by the Ethics Resource Center. “Retaliation: When Whistleblowers Become Victims” notes dramatic increases in various forms of reprisal against those who report unethical behavior, including physical violence, job retaliation, and assaults on whistleblowers’ physical property.
The report attributes the rise in retaliation to heightened stress levels in the work place due to mergers, layoffs, and a struggling economy.
The report didn’t discuss the various government programs that protect and reward whistleblowers: Qui tam cases under the False Claims Act for individuals who report fraud against the government, and whistleblower programs at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. For more details about whistleblower job protection and rewards under those programs, see www.phillipsandcohen.com.