Does anything change this year regarding informing employees about the reporting procedure?
The short answer: the core obligation itself does not change this year. Employees must know that a reporting channel exists, how they can report internally, that they can also report externally, and that a report can be confidential or even anonymous. This foundation has been established for some time and has not suddenly changed.
What does play a role is that there is still movement in certain areas around integrity. For instance, there is a legislative proposal regarding the trusted person, and supervisory authorities and the House for Whistleblowers regularly clarify how they interpret certain parts of the scheme. This does not affect the obligation to inform itself, but may influence what you specifically tell employees and how comprehensive your communication is.
What is currently established
The obligation to inform employees is part of the scheme surrounding the reporting channel and is separate from loose policy changes. It concerns clear, findable information: where the channel is located, who manages it, what steps follow after a report, and which deadlines apply. This information should not only be shared upon recruitment but should also remain accessible afterwards, for example on the intranet or in the staff handbook.
Because this foundation is stable, now is a good time to check whether your current communication is still up to date. Many organisations drew up the information years ago and have not reviewed it since. The names of handlers may have changed, links may have become outdated, or new employees may never have seen the information.
What is still in motion
The legislative proposal regarding the trusted person is separate from the reporting scheme for misconduct, but does touch on the same broader theme of integrity in the workplace. As long as this proposal has not yet been adopted, nothing changes for the information obligation surrounding the reporting channel. It is wise to continue monitoring this, however, because in the longer term it may have consequences for how organisations arrange and communicate about their internal provisions regarding unwanted behaviour and misconduct.
In addition, supervisory authorities occasionally publish further clarification on certain parts of the scheme, for example regarding what constitutes adequate information provision. These are not legislative amendments, but interpretations that may be relevant when you assess whether your current approach is still aligned. For the exact and current text of the scheme itself, the official source, such as the legal text via EUR-Lex, remains the starting point.
Why this is relevant to you
For a manager of an installation company, an HR manager, or an office manager, this means above all: there is no reason to rush, but there is reason for a brief check. Is the information about the reporting channel still correct? Do new employees know where they can turn? Is it clear that they can also report anonymously or orally? These are questions you can answer in half an hour without having to determine what exactly changes legally.
In the knowledge base with explanations on each topic you will find the background to this information obligation, regardless of whether anything changes this year. That is useful if you want to review which parts of your communication still stand and which need an update.
What you can concretely do
A practical approach is to review the existing information once a year: is the name of the handler still correct, does the link to the reporting channel work, and is the text understandable for someone who is not a lawyer. In addition, it is useful to consider whether new employees routinely receive this information, for example via the information kit that comes with the reporting channel.
If you are unsure whether your organisation currently meets the obligation, the free check in a few questions a first indication, without needing an account. If you want to know how the information on signalo.eu is compiled and where it comes from, you can read that on the page about how the platform works.
For your own organization's situation, especially if there is doubt about the correct interpretation of a current development, it remains advisable to consult a lawyer or follow the competent supervisory authority. Signalo facilitates and structures the reporting channel and the associated deadlines, but does not assess situations itself and provides no legal advice.
Would you like to carefully review where your organization stands, without immediately creating an account? Then take the free quick-scan or read through the topics in the knowledge base; that will already give you a good picture of what is currently required of you.