EXCERPT from The Whistleblower: Defeating Bullies, Harassers and Management Gang Retaliation On several occasions in this book, I have referred to the Whistleblower Movement. I realize that the term “Movement” may sound a bit melodramatic for some of you, and for some others the term may send shivers down your spine and cause you to run the other way. But I do not employ this term lightly or by mistake.
Also, see our article Understanding the Whistleblower
America has witnessed many great Movements, e.g., Consumer Rights, Women’s Rights, and of course the epic Civil Rights Movement, to cite a few. Is it therefore preposterous to envision a society where people are protected from workplace abuse?
Men and women throughout this great nation (indeed the world) are hurting because of abuse suffered in the workplace. Bullying, harassment, retaliation are social ills that adversely impact our health, our families, and – in extreme circumstances, can lead to suicide because the humiliation and degradation has, for some, become unbearable.
I may very well be the first author to establish the concept of “Workplace Abuse,” and to argue that workplace bullying, harassment and retaliation should not be within the stale and circuitous domain of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) programs. Perhaps for the first time in our national discourse, you are hearing an author contend that workplace abuse is indeed a Human Rights issue!
We, as a society, must begin to treat the “unpleasant” matter of workplace abuse with a sense of national urgency – hence my call for a Whistleblower Movement in the 21st century.
Thus, as a lawyer, I am not focused on winning a case. Rather, I hope together we can win a cause.
I firmly believe that everyone has the basic human right to contribute their time and talents to an employer without suffering demoralization and reprisal.
Now, I ask of you, does that sound so “radical?”