Incidents of Whistleblower Retaliation on the Rise

4514 Cole Ave, #600 | Dallas, Texas 75205

Call Kardell Law Group 214-306-8045

Over the last several years, we have seen the number of whistleblowers reporting internal wrongdoing dramatically increase. However, a new survey from the Ethics and Compliance Initiative (ECI) also indicates that incidents of whistleblower retaliation across the United States are also on the rise.

ECI surveyed more than 5,000 employees in late 2017 as part of its annual survey. The number of employees who witnessed misconduct in the workplace was 47 percent, down from 51 percent in 2013. However, more employees are feeling pressured to compromise their own ethical standards in the workplace (16 percent, versus 13 percent in 2013). In addition, 84 percent of pressured employees observed coworker misbehavior.

Here are the most common kinds of unethical behaviors observed by surveyed workers:

Lying to stakeholders and employees (26 percent)
Abusive behavior (21 percent)
Conflicts of interest (15 percent)

About 63 percent of respondents said this misconduct was committed by a manager or supervisor. Of the surveyed employees, 69 percent said they reported misconduct, up 10 percentage points since 2000. However, instances of retaliation against employees reported in the survey doubled to 44 percent, and 72 percent of respondents said that retaliation occurred within three weeks of them blowing the whistle.

These are obviously some alarming trends that companies must be aware of and assess appropriate. Companies must take clear steps to develop rigid guidelines for employees, promoting values of integrity and openness throughout the company, setting performance goals for all leadership and ensure that nobody is above the rules in the workplace.

If you have been a victim of retaliation after serving as a whistleblower, meet with an experienced Dallas lawyer at Kardell Law Group.

By Steve Kardell | Published June 7, 2018 | Posted in Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged Ethics and Compliance Initiative, whistleblower retaliation, whistleblowers reporting internal wrongdoing dramatically increase

Awards & Honors

Our Office

Dallas Office
4514 Cole Ave
#600
Dallas, Texas 75205
Phone: 214-306-8045
Fax: 469-729-9926

Testimonials

"Steve Kardell was terrific in representing me in some very adversarial discussions with Citigroup and also later represented me in my testimony before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission." -Richard Bowen, Citigroup Whistleblower
"Incredible knowledge of employee related concerns and equally brilliant knowledge of health care regulations, standards of practice. I would recommend this firm to anyone." -V.B.
"Reaching out to Steve Kardell was the best decision I made. His ability to provide immediate insight and direction was very powerful, and a huge relief during a very stressful time period. For anyone struggling with a whistleblower situation, I would highly recommend at least speaking with Steve. After a 10 minute call with him, I had a better understanding of what I was dealing with. Even better, he gave me some immediate hope. In the end Steve did a better job than I thought was possible. Steve was able to get in contact with people in my organization, that I didn’t have access to. Because of his years of experience, he already has contacts in many organizations in Dallas. The entire situation was handled peacefully. I was impressed by his ability to “keep the peace”–rather than creating a battle with the organization. The reason I didn’t reach out to a lawyer initially, was because I thought it would mean an immediate end to any hope of a positive relationship with the company. Steve was able to address my concerns, and in the end I was able to continue to work for them." -KS
"Never thought my career would end like it did after 30 years of service. I was part of the first round of the so called reduction of force. I asked myself how can I be part of this with 30 years of seniority. How did they pick these 90 plus employees? Now, the culture of this organization made you question every decision they made. It wasn’t what you knew it’s was a culture of who you know. Nonetheless, I did not accept their severance package. I immediately starting looking for an attorney who would take on my case. After the initial call to Steve I had hope again. He was open and honest about everything and reassured me he would do his best for me, and he did. I had an awesome outcome. Thanks Steve you’re the best." -S.S.