It takes guts to speak up about wrongdoing within your company. That is one of the reasons so many businesses (or people within them) get away with illegal activities. While one or more uninvolved people knew what was going on they were too scared to report it.
When a business is defrauding a government body, it is, in effect, defrauding the public. So, it is in everyone’s interest (apart from the perpetrators) to stop the fraud. When a corporation is flouting safety laws, it is jeopardizing people’s lives. Again, it is in the public interest to stop this.
The authorities cannot be everywhere, and much will escape their attention. Even when they suspect something is up, they may have difficulty proving it. For these reasons, there are measures in place to encourage employees to cooperate and provide them with information that could help them end wrongdoing and bring wrongdoers to justice.
Whistleblower protection programs
Anyone who reports their employer is typically referred to as a whistleblower. Federal law gives them protection against the consequences they may face from their employer. If their assistance leads to the government recovering funds, the whistleblower may also be in line for a percentage of those funds as a reward, which is designed to incentivize people to speak up.
All this could take time, however, and if an employer finds out that their employee has reported them, they may take immediate action, such as firing the employee or retaliating against them in some other way.
If you have something to report, getting legal help to learn more before you do so can be a sensible decision that safeguards you during what will undoubtedly be a challenging time.