If you exposed wrongdoing at work, how safe would your job be?

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Whistleblower being targeted (Doug Thompson Illustration)

Lisa LaRue, a municipal construction code official in Edison Township, New Jersey, discovered wrongdoing in her workplace. Some residents and businesses were overbilled for plumbing inspections. Others were allowed to build structures without obtaining the proper permit. When LaRue reported this to her supervisors, she was harassed and denied raises and other benefits.

LaRue fought back. She filed a lawsuit against the township under New Jersey’s “whistleblower law.” Edison Township agreed to pay $157,000 to settle the suit.

In much of the world, LaRue would never have dared to report the wrongdoing. But the United States government, and the governments of many states, have passed “whistleblower” laws that protect employees who step forward and alert the public to illegal or improper government activity.

By informing law enforcement authorities and the public, whistleblowers help prevent:

• Favoritism or corruption in awarding government contracts.
• Cronyism in making personnel decisions in the office.
• Mismanagement of official funds.
• Personal indiscretions.

When employees can report problems without fear of retaliation, their managers can address those issues more effectively and run government “efficiently and according to ethical standards,” says Richard Moberly, a law professor at Nebraska College of Law.

“Often the best source of information…[is a] government employee committed to public integrity and willing to speak out.”

Most U.S. states and cities have whistleblower laws. Over 20 laws give special protection to federal employees in the food safety, aviation, securities and environmental protection fields.

After the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama’s transition team offered the incoming administration’s view about whistleblowers:

“Often the best source of information about waste, fraud, and abuse in government is an existing government employee committed to public integrity and willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled.”