One of the biggest dangers of becoming a so-called "whistleblower" is the threat of employer retaliation. Imagine, for example, that you work for a construction firm that engages in numerous Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) safety violations...
Year: 2018
Instructors receive settlement in age-discrimination case
Two university instructors have reached a settlement in an age-discrimination dispute that will give each of them more than $200,000.The two were teachers in the English as a second language program at Ohio State University. They claimed that the director of the ESL...
4 common types of workplace discrimination
Your workplace is your second home. In fact, it's probably where you spend most of your waking hours. Not everyone has the luxury of a job, workplace and coworkers they genuinely enjoy. However, at the very least, no one should have to put up with any kind of...
What is sex-based discrimination?
Sex-based employment discrimination is common throughout the world, even in the United States. At its most fundamental level, this discrimination involves the treatment of another person in an unfavorable way as a result of his or her sex. Fortunately, federal and...
Can quitting a job be the same as being fired?
Michigan is an employment-at-will state, which means employers can dismiss employees for no reason, good reason, or even a bad reason.This does not mean, however, that an employer can fire an employee for an illegal reason. When that happens, it's called wrongful...
What are the limitations of a noncompetition clause?
It's common for employment agreements to contain a noncompetition clause. Many employers expose trade secrets and client lists to employees and they don't want their employees using this confidential information to compete against them unfairly. As long as noncompete...
What’s a ‘qui tam’ action?
A qui tam action is one that an employee initiates against an employer that committed fraud against the government. Qui tam actions are not that common, however, because employees are often afraid to report their employer's unlawful activity -- due to a fear of...
Were you fired because of age discrimination?
Age discrimination is real and as the baby boomer generation gets older, it's only becoming more widespread. This kind of discrimination might be subtle and difficult to pinpoint in some cases. A job applicant could simply get passed up because he's over 50 -- but the...
What can I do to stop workplace discrimination?
Imagine you've been working at a Detroit manufacturing facility for years, and suddenly, you look around and notice that everyone you see at work is from one racial demographic. After looking deeper into the practice you discover that there could be a terrible reason...
Example of a successful whistleblower retaliation suit
If you witness wrongful or unlawful activity at your workplace, you have every right to report that activity to your superior — or to the authorities — without fear of negative employment consequences. If your employer decides to retaliate against you for...