The term 'whistleblower' is a metaphor for people who point out abuse – just like a referee will point out a foul. Without such indications, offenses such as money laundering, corruption, discrimination, wage dumping or tax evasion would often go undetected. And that would be fatal, because such actions are not only against the law, they also contradict our social values.

And although this topic is so important to society, whistleblowers have often needed a lot of courage in the past, because they had to expect considerable negative consequences. This is not the only reason why there are laws now to protect whistleblowers.

Whistleblower laws

In short, larger companies must establish secure reporting channels and treat incoming tips confidentially. As a result, whistleblowers remain anonymous if desired and do not have to fear reprisals for their person or their job.

In December 2019, the EU Whistleblower Directive came into force. It defines the minimum extent to which whistleblowers must be protected.

EU directives must be transposed into national law by EU countries. That is why Germany has the issued the Whistleblower Protection Act. It regulates how natural persons are protected if they obtain information about violations of the law in their professional environment and wish to report them. It also prohibits reprisals and retaliation against whistleblowers. Employers must even prove that any actions taken against employees are not related to the disclosure of abuse.

The law is not a free pass, however. Employers are also given the right, for example, to claim damages in the event of grossly negligent false reports.

E-learning on whistleblowing and early warning systems

IS-FOX offers a module on whistleblowing, early warning systems and whistleblower protection in its various compliance e-learning courses. It can be used as a single short learning unit (approx. 9 minutes including a short multiple choice test) or as a chapter in a Compliance & Integrity E-Learning. As always with IS-FOX, content such as reporting channels, code of conduct or guidelines can be customized into the module, as well as layout adaptions with your company's logo and accent colors.

The contents of the e-learning on Whistleblowing

Explanatory video Whistleblowing (approx. 2 min): what is it about, why is it important, what to do?
Legal background (EU Directive, Whistleblower Protection Act)
Customer-specific reporting channels plus additional information on reports
Interactive exercises on different scenarios: should the following situation be reported?
Summary
Multiple choice test (3 questions)

The e-learning can be integrated as a SCORM module into the customer's learning management system or obtained as a complete cloud service via the IS-FOX learning management system.

All details at a glance

Approx. 9-minute e-learning module, short, crisp and fresh, without lawyer-speak.

Modern, interactive presentation with videos and gaming elements (scenario exercises).

Available as a single learning nugget or as a chapter in the compliance training course

The license plus: the video can also be used separately on the intranet at no additional cost.

Languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese. Other languages on request

Accessible according to WCAG guidelines. The course is equally usable for people without and with disabilities (limitations of hearing, vision or motor skills).

Delivery in all common e-learning formats (SCORM, AICC, xAPI, CMI)

For in-house use in your own LMS or as a complete cloud service.