Is all retaliation by an employer whistleblowing?
No. Whistleblowing does not normally include an employer’s retaliation because of routine complaints about on-the-job personal problems or issues that affect only a single person. Actions that are considered whistleblowing tend to focus more on conduct prohibited by a specific law and that causes damage to the public at large, to the taxpayers in general, or to our general public interest in a fair, efficient, and just government. Some instances of retaliation are illegal, such as an employer firing an employee because she filed an EEOC charge alleging sex discrimination. But, this type of retaliation is not normally considered whistleblowing, because the events concern an individual person’s employment status, as opposed to wrongdoing involving large segments of the workforce or endangering the general health and safety of an entire city population.
