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Whistleblowers often fear retaliation, with good reason

Nobody likes a tattletale, but Bay Area employees were likely taught growing up that there is a difference between tattling and calling attention to a dangerous or unjust situation. In the workplace, people who take this sort of action to protect other employees and alert authorities to danger or crime are often referred to as whistleblowers. Often, hard-working employees may be aware of a problem on the job that should be reported to authorities but fear that an employer will take retaliatory action against them if they do. 

Recently, an employee at technology giant Tesla became aware of certain business practices that seemed to endanger both people and the environment. The employee felt that it was right to speak up and did so bravely. The SEC began to look into the whisteblower’s claims, but in the meantime, other Tesla employees bear witness to the fact that the man was the victim of bullying and harassment by the company. 

Though the matter is still under investigation by authorities, it came to light that the company had hired private investigators to spy on the whistleblower, often physically following him, and even going so far as allegedly hacking his personal electronic devices. There are even reports that the company attempted to discredit the brave employee by trying to mislead police into thinking that the man had threatened violence in the workplace, a plot that naturally failed when no proof could be provided. The man became so frustrated, he moved abroad until the dust settles. 

At the end of the day, Bay Area employees who muster the courage to speak out against an employer in the wrong deserve protection under the law. In many cases, people in this sort of predicament choose to bring an experienced attorney on board. An attorney can help ensure that whistleblowers are protected during the legal process and do not have to worry about becoming the victim of other crime for being brave and honest.