The much-anticipated implementation of the Whistleblower Protection Directive is slated for the first quarter 2024. Employers will be required to establish and maintain internal mechanisms for the safe and confidential reporting of irregularities by whistleblowers. These procedures must be implemented in organisations with at least 50 employees (smaller employers may do so voluntarily). Failure to put such procedures in place or establishing a legally defective procedure is punishable with a fine.
According to current draft law, the Whistleblowing Act will come into force one month after its publication in the Official Journal. Employers will need to implement legal breach reporting channels within one month from the effective date of the Act.
In view of these developments, SMM Legal has established cooperation with lawcode GmbH, a recognized German firm known for its whistleblower breach reporting system, Hintbox. Thanks to this partnership, we will be to provide our Clients with enhanced support in ensuring that their operations are transparent and compliant with law.
Hintbox is an innovative tool which enables organisations to manage information and reports on internal irregularities within their own structures. Hintbox ensures GDPR compliance, as confirmed by an ISO 27001 certificate. Data fed into the system are end-to-end encrypted and servers are EU-based. On top of that, system features include the handling of anonymous reports and communication with anonymous whistleblowers. Hintbox is used in more than 90 countries worldwide, across a variety of sectors – from the public sector to health care to automotive.
SMM Legal is responsible for the development and implementation of a breach reporting procedure, employee and management training, as well as fast, discreet and safe legal handling of whistleblowers’ reports. It is a comprehensive solution, ensuring that the organization is protected from every angle in the context of a whistleblowing system operation.
Tomasz Lewandowski, PhD, a lawyer on our team and a labour law and personal data protection expert, emphasized the benefits of our collaboration with Hintbox developers. “Through this service, Clients get access to a user-friendly tool that they can make available to their employees, as well as clients and suppliers. Our solution offers synergies arising from the highest IT security standards and legal support – in every single case, a matter reported by a whistleblower is sent directly to a lawyer specialising in the area of the reported breach, who will supervise and investigate the case.
Our initiative will significantly contribute to the raising of management standards, security and the ethics of business operations, ensuring that employers meet all their requirements under the whistleblowers’ protection law.
