Almost all employment and labor laws protect employees from retaliation for exercising their statutory rights, including participating in the administrative or litigation processes and reporting a violation by their employer. A retaliation violation may be found even when the underlying violation is dismissed. An employer must be careful not to retaliate against their employees and ensure that managers and supervisors understand the consequences of retaliatory behavior. Many states also have whistleblower laws which protect employees who report employers to state or federal agencies or officials for unlawful or illegal behavior.
