A whistleblower is basically anyone in California who discloses information to a government or a law enforcement agency based on a reasonable belief that their employer is violating a statute, rule or regulation, or refuses to participate in an employer activity that would result in a violation or a rule, statute, or regulation.
The law was changed recently: Now it also includes people who report suspected illegal behavior internally to someone with authority over that particular employee or to another employee with the authority to investigate, discover, or direct the reported violation.
It has expanded to include not only reports someone makes to an outside governmental agency, but also to internal complaints that the employee makes against their employer.
What if I confide in a coworker, and that person report it to higher-ups? Am I protected by “Whistleblower?”
Under the new California law, probably not. It has to be someone in authority.
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