EnglishThe Whistleblower Protection Act
Learn more about the new Whistleblower Protection Act and set up your internal reporting channel with Tell IT.
Das Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz (HinSchG) ist am 2. Juli 2023 in Kraft getreten. Es soll Whistleblower, also Personen, die Verstöße gegen das Recht, die öffentliche Verwaltung oder die Wirtschaft melden, vor Repressalien schützen. Das HinSchG gilt für alle Unternehmen mit mehr als 50 Beschäftigten.
What is a whistleblower?
A whistleblower is a person who reports a violation of law, public administration or business. These violations can be, for example, corruption, money laundering, tax evasion, discrimination or environmental pollution. Whistleblowers can be employees as well as external persons.
What are the rights of whistleblowers?
Whistleblowers are protected from reprisals. This means that they may not be dismissed, transferred or otherwise disadvantaged because they have reported a violation. Whistleblowers also have the right to keep their identity secret.
Who needs to set up an internal hint channel?
Companies with more than 50 employees are required to establish an internal whistleblowing channel. The internal whistleblowing channel must be secure and confidential. Whistleblowers often attach importance to their identity being protected. The law does not stipulate that anonymous whistleblowers must be processed. At Tell IT, you can choose whether to allow anonymous tips. In any case, whistleblowers must be confident that they will not be disadvantaged because of their reports.
Questions about the law?
Our experienced lawyer and managing director, Nico Werdermann, is at your disposal to clarify all legal issues related to the Whistleblower Protection Act and compliance.
How can I set up an internal hint channel?
Here are some tips for setting up an internal hint channel:
- With Tell IT, choose a secure and confidential system that you can customize to your business.
- Make sure that the internal notice channel is easy to find and use. The internal information channel should be published on the company's website and intranet sites.
- Give whistleblowers clear information about what can be reported and how reports will be handled. Whistleblowers should know that they will not be disadvantaged because of their reports.
- Train your employees about the internal whistleblowing channel. Employees should know how the internal whistleblowing channel works and how to use it.
- Define the internal processing procedures and decide which selected group of people should be responsible for processing. If necessary, you can also involve an external consultant who has direct access to your Tell IT platform and processes the notices for you.
The advantages of an internal hint channel
An internal hint channel offers companies a number of benefits. These include:
- Early detection of legal violations and other problems. An internal whistleblowing channel can help identify and resolve legal violations and other issues early. This can save companies money and reputation.
- Improving compliance risk management. An internal whistleblowing channel can help improve compliance risk management. This can help companies protect themselves from legal violations and other issues.
- Strengthening corporate culture. An internal whistleblowing channel can help strengthen corporate culture. This can help companies create an honest work environment with integrity.
Conclusion
The Whistleblower Protection Act is an important step towards improving the protection of whistleblowers in Germany. Companies with more than 50 employees are required to set up an internal whistleblower channel. With Tell IT, you can quickly and easily set up an internal whistleblower channel, configure it to your needs, and thus easily meet the legal requirements.
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