Whistleblower Retaliation in the Public Sector

In: Public personnel management, Band 40, Heft 4, S. 341-348

Abstract

"Blowing the whistle" has never been an easy decision whether an employee is from the private sector or the public sector. Laws to protect employees from the private sector had been long established while whistleblowers from the public sector may have been scrutinized. After the media aired many high profile cases in which federal whistleblowers go through a series of retaliations by their supervisors, laws have been introduced to protect government whistleblowers as well. Although these laws have significantly given courage to whistleblowers, it is not without its flaws. There are still agencies that ignore these laws or find ways around these laws in order to cover up some of their own mistakes. The government must continue to find ways to encourage more people to step up and expose wrongdoings for the good of society.