You may handle report processing yourself. The regulations do not require an external party; they do require that the person processing the report can act impartially and has no conflict of interest with the report or those involved. The employer decides who that is concretely: a management member, an HR manager, a compliance officer, or an external handler.
The practical question, then, is not whether it is allowed, but whether it can be done in your organization without impartiality being compromised. In a company of fifty employees, the director knows almost everyone personally, and that sometimes makes impartial handling difficult, especially when a report concerns a colleague or the director himself. This consideration determines in practice whether handling it yourself is wise.
What the law does and does not regulate
The regulations set requirements for the process: there must be a channel, there must be a receipt confirmation, and within the set deadline there must be feedback on what has been done with the report. Regarding the person of the handler, one thing stands out: that person may not participate in a decision in a matter in which they themselves have a role, and the reporter must be able to rely on the report being handled carefully and confidentially.
This means that an owner-director of a small business may theoretically be a handler themselves, but this becomes difficult as soon as a report concerns them, a family member, or someone they work closely with. In those cases the question arises whether impartiality is still credible. Who may handle the matter and how that independence is safeguarded is described in more detail in the knowledge base on impartial handling.
What handling it yourself means in practice
When you handle it yourself, there is more involved than reading a report. You must confirm receipt promptly, register the report confidentially, have an investigation conducted or conduct it yourself, inform the reporter within the statutory deadline about the progress, and document everything so you can later demonstrate that the procedure was followed. That takes time, and it requires knowledge of what is and is not permitted during an investigation, for example regarding the protection of the reporter's identity.
For an SME without a separate compliance department, that is often the first hurdle: not the will to do it right, but the time to keep doing it alongside regular work, especially with a report that runs longer than a few weeks. A hosted channel with a processing environment takes the procedural part out of your hands — the deadlines run automatically, and the documentation is in one place — while the substantive assessment remains with the employer, as the law also requires.
When outsourcing delivers more value
Outsourcing makes sense when the organization is too small to appoint an impartial handler internally, when reports often concern managers, or when simply no one has the time to carefully follow a matter through to closure. Also, with a first report, where no one in the organization yet has experience with the process, an external handler or a clear procedure can remove much uncertainty.
Outsourcing does not have to be all-or-nothing: some employers have the channel and procedure facilitated, while the substantive assessment remains with an internally designated person. Others also have the investigation conducted by an external party, for instance with a report that affects the top of the organization. Which form fits depends on the size of the organization and how many reports can be expected.
How to make the weighing concrete
The core question is always: can the designated recipient at your organization review every report impartially, and is there enough time and knowledge to properly observe the statutory deadlines and documentation? If the answer to either is doubtful, outsourcing the channel, the procedure or the handling itself is a realistic option, without losing your say in the outcome.
Would you first like to see how your organization stands in this regard? With the free check in a few questions you get an indication of whether the obligation applies to you and what must then be in place, and in the overview of how the platform works you see how facilitation and handling remain separate at signalo.eu.