There are many different laws that companies need to follow in Florida. Depending on the type of business they are involved in, they may need to follow environmental laws and regulations. They need to follow the various laws pertaining to finances. They also need to follow the various labor laws such as the laws prohibiting discrimination, sexual harassment, wage and hour laws and other laws relating to the treatment of their employees.

While most businesses do follow these laws, there are many companies which do not. Many of the violations occur within the company and usually only the people inside the company are aware of the violations. The various authorities may not have any idea to even investigate the company for any violations of the law. They usually need to rely on the employees of the company to let them know about the violations. However, employees may be hesitant to come froward fearing the retaliation from their employer for reporting the violation.

The whistleblower must meet some criteria

Employees who report violations of the law may be protected against retaliation though. However, in order to receive whistleblower protections, the employee must meet certain criteria. Those criteria are:

• Inform the appropriate agency in writing of the employer’s activity;
• The activity was a violation of the law or a regulation;
• The employer retaliated against the employee for reporting it;
• The employee gave written notice to the employer of the activity in order to give the employer an opportunity to correct the violation.

It is important that companies in Florida follow the laws and it is important that employees are able to report violations of the law. If employers retaliate against employees who report violations the employee could be entitled to compensation. This compensation can include back pay, lost wages and lost benefits among other damages. Experienced attorneys understand the protections whistleblower laws provide and may be able to protect employees’ rights.