Configuring communications, alerts and deadlines

1. Regulatory Concept & Core Standards

This video focuses on how to configure alerts that support deadline compliance without exposing information. Follow the sequence of decisions in the example rather than simply memorising a list. Notice who is involved, what information is needed and the expected result. These points help turn the content into a practice that another person can verify. The demonstrations in this course use a generic platform and fictional data. Field names depend on the chosen product. The aim is to understand which settings to look for and how to verify the result, keeping technical administration rights separate from access to case content.

Article 22 distinguishes internal acknowledgement within seven days, feedback normally within 30 and at most 90 days from the prescribed trigger, and written notice of the outcome without delay. Reporting to the Ombudswoman within 30 days of the decision is separate. An internal alert is not a communication sent to the reporting person.

Apply the following rule: Internal receipt must be acknowledged within 7 days of receipt. Feedback is normally due within 30 days and no later than 90 days from acknowledgement or, if none was sent, expiry of 7 days after submission. This is not a general deadline for finishing the investigation. The reporting person must be informed of the outcome in writing without delay. The confidential person reports received reports and outcomes to the Ombudswoman in writing within 30 days of deciding the report. External acknowledgement is without delay and within 7 days of receipt, subject to statutory exceptions. Article 25(5) provides for external feedback normally within 30 days, no later than 90 days, or up to 6 months in justified cases.

2. Practical Implementation & Procedure

Record each deadline’s trigger. Feedback runs from acknowledgement or, if none was sent, expiry of seven days after submission. Do not use the first opening as the default trigger. Test neutral alerts, absence cover and evidence of an actual substantive message. 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

The system alerts the manager, but the manager communicates no measures to the reporting person. The dashboard marks the alert complete. The team changes the configuration to distinguish an alert dealt with from a communication sent, recording its content and sending date. 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: Does marking an alert as read demonstrate compliance with the duty to communicate with the reporting person? 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.

No. Evidence of the required communication through an appropriate means must exist. An alert is an internal aid; the obligation concerns information actually communicated to the reporting person within the applicable period.

One mistake to avoid is: using an internal notification's status as proof of a reply to the reporting person.

Now apply the national rule to a second decision. The platform uses a fixed 90-day period for every country, starting when someone opens the message. Can this setting be retained?

Not without validating the local rule. Use the correct starting event and unit, distinguish acknowledgement from follow-up and allow only permitted extensions. Test receipt outside working hours, month-end dates and the responsible person's absence. Opening a message does not automatically change the legal date of receipt.