Identifying needs, audiences and risks

1. Regulatory Concept & Core Standards

In this video we will work through a concrete decision: produce a list of requirements for a whistleblowing channel. The aim is to explain the criterion used and apply it to a workplace situation. We will start with the concept, move to the procedure and finish with a case to solve. Setting up a channel involves people, procedures and technology. The platform supports operations, but the organisation still needs clear decisions on responsibilities, information protection and follow-up. This course covers preparing the service before receiving real reports.

Start with applicable obligations and the actual users. Different shifts, sites and contractors create different access barriers. Article 12 requires clear, accessible information on the website and visibly at workplaces. An operating web address alone does not prove practical accessibility.

Apply the following rule: Article 12 covers public-sector employers, private employers with at least 50 workers and specified regulated activities regardless of headcount. Resource sharing is subject to conditions for small municipalities and private employers with 50–249 workers; confidentiality and individual duties remain. Article 14 requires designated staff without conflicts. Since the 2025 amendment, private obliged entities may outsource receipt and registration of reports; this does not automatically transfer all handling functions.

2. Practical Implementation & Procedure

Identify target groups, languages and access without a work computer. Distinguish statutory requirements from extra service choices. Check written and oral reporting under article 15, a requested meeting within an agreed appropriate time, and documentation rules. Assign ownership of user information and test the route using fictional data. Before moving on, turn this procedure into a sequence you could explain to a colleague. Identify the first check, the action that depends on its outcome and the record that allows the decision to be reconstructed. Follow the sequence on screen and identify the point where an error would change the result.

3. Case Study & Compliance Action

A fictional factory has 120 workers, half of whom do not use a computer at work. Publishing only an intranet link leaves some intended users without practical access. The team proposes information in common areas, mobile-compatible access and a clear explanation of secure follow-up. Now read the case carefully. Separate established facts from information you would still need to confirm. Do not add motives or events that have not been described. This distinction matters when choosing a response proportionate to the information available.

The exercise is as follows: What requirement is missing if the channel works technically but only office employees can find it? Choose an answer and write one sentence explaining it. During the pause, compare your choice with the criteria we have just considered. Also think about the material you would retain to explain the decision later.

Suitable access and communication for the actual audiences are missing. The needs assessment must document barriers and the proposed solution. The existence of an online address alone does not demonstrate that every intended user can use the service.

One mistake to avoid is: copying another organisation's requirements without considering the actual audiences and processes.

Now apply the national rule to a second decision. A subsidiary copies its foreign head office's policy without assessing its own activities and size. What must it check?

Identify the local legal entity, sector, national counting method and any public-sector or territorial regimes. Then link each obligation to a source and a responsible person. A group model can support operations but does not replace this assessment.