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With HintPilot

Detect compliance violations

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Our Solution for the Whistleblower Protection Act

According to the Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG), companies with more than 50 employees and public authorities are obliged to establish an independent, internal reporting office and operate a confidential reporting channel. In doing so, they must particularly ensure the protection of whistleblowers and confidential handling of their reports.

HintPilot is the efficient and legally compliant solution from Scheja & Partners:

We provide you with a powerful reporting portal and, optionally, also take over your duties as a reporting office – discreetly, securely, and competently.

Our Services

  • A trustworthy partner that offers the highest possible level of transparency and allows the client to exercise self-control
  • Case handling by individually selected attorneys
  • Confidential Receipt of Reports and Communications
  • Ensuring compliance with legally required acknowledgments of receipt and responses
  • Initial legal assessment and communication with the client as soon as possible
  • Constant and easy accessibility 24/7
  • Initiating appropriate follow-up measures with the greatest possible involvement of the client

Your benefits at a glance

With HintPilot, you meet all legal requirements and benefit from maximum security:

Legally compliant

Fulfills all requirements of the Whistleblower Protection Act.

External Independence

Strong legal expertise from specially trained lawyers.

Highest Confidentiality

Confidential communication, documentation, and case management within the system

Modern Reporting Portal

GDPR-compliant, technically up-to-date platform as a reporting channel.

Legally Sound Procedures

Professional review, documentation, and processing of incoming reports.

Efficient Case Handling

Clear processes, timely feedback to whistleblowers.

Fully Managed

Personal consultation in close coordination with your company or authority management.

Minimal Internal Effort

No need to set up your own management system.

Confirmation

Confirmation and documentation of receipt of the report to the person who submitted it

Identity

Maintaining the confidentiality of the identity of the whistleblower and any third parties mentioned in the report

Documentation

Documentation of Required Consents

CMS

The Whistleblower System as an Essential Component of a Compliance Management System

Deletion

Deletion of irrelevant data in accordance with legal requirements

Multilingualism

The system is available in several languages.

What does HintPilot offer?

With HintPilot, you professionally meet the HinSchG requirements for your organization without additional internal effort:

  1. Set up reporting portal: We provide you with a modern, browser-based reporting platform.
  2. Process reports: Our experienced team of lawyers acts as an ombudsperson and handles the qualified processing of all incoming reports.
  3. Review & Assessment: Each report is expertly reviewed and assessed for validity and applicability under the HinSchG.
  4. Contact & Feedback: Confidential communication with whistleblowers and timely feedback.
  5. Initiate measures: Conduct internal investigations or forward to responsible authorities.
  6. Reporting & Transparency: Regular information on processing status and recommendations, upon request.

What can be reported?

According to the Whistleblower Protection Act, reports on the following topics must be possible:
  • Public procurement
  • Financial sector (incl. money laundering and terrorist financing)
  • Product safety and compliance
  • Environmental protection
  • Food safety and animal welfare
  • Public health
  • Consumer protection
  • Data protection
  • Financial and tax law
  • Criminal and administrative offense law
  • Traffic law (road, rail, water, air)
With HintPilot, you implement the Whistleblower Protection Act efficiently and professionally. You effectively protect whistleblowers, avoid fines, and demonstrate responsibility towards employees and the public.

Context

As of July 2, 2023, all private-sector companies and public agencies with 50 or more employees are required to establish an internal reporting office.

With a few exceptions—particularly for financial service providers—the law provides private-sector companies with fewer than 250 employees with a transition period to establish an internal reporting office by December 17, 2023.

The internal reporting office must be independent and sufficiently knowledgeable. It assesses whether a reported violation is substantiated and whether the organization in question needs to take further action. It maintains contact with the whistleblower.

The internal reporting office must operate a reporting channel that complies with legal requirements regarding confidentiality and documentation. It must ensure that incoming reports are handled confidentially.

To adequately address the legal complexity of the reports to be processed, experts with experience in handling confidential information should be entrusted with the responsibilities of the internal reporting office.

Our attorneys are accustomed to handling confidential information and acting independently in their capacity as data protection officers.

With our reporting portal, HintPilot, we offer a system-based solution that meets all legal requirements for confidentiality and documentation.

Your benefits with our HintPilot whistleblower protection system

Our law firm provides you with a comprehensive whistleblower protection system that meets all legal requirements and is seamlessly integrated into your corporate structure. With our secure reporting portal, HintPilot, we enable simple, confidential, and efficient handling of reports.

Individual Collaboration

We handle case management.

We assess the validity of claims and determine whether your company needs to take action.

The reporting center can be organized according to individual needs.

Together with you, we define:

  • Individual roles and responsibilities within the internal reporting office
  • the flow of information in the case of credible reports
  • the procedure for initiating follow-up actions
  • the involvement of internal/external experts in the final assessment of reports
  • the procedure for involving government agencies and investigative authorities

Implementation of HintPilot

  • Provision of the reporting channel within your CI and with its own URL
  • Integrating the reporting channel requires virtually no internal resources
  • Seamless integration into your intranet or website
  • Option to submit anonymous reports
  • If necessary, set up an additional reporting channel via phone or email
  • Customized checklists for case management
  • We are the data controller for this reporting channel

Advantages of HintPilot as a system-based reporting channel

Persönliches
Gespräch		TelefonE-MailPostSystembasierter
Meldekanal
Anonyme Hinweisabgabe××?✓✓
Anonyme Kommunikation××?×✓
Datenschutzkonformität????✓
Umsetzungs-, Lösch- und Berechtigungskonzepte????✓
24/7 Erreichbarkeit des Meldekanals××✓✓✓
Automatisierung der Schritte××××✓
Digitalisierung××?×✓
Vertraulichkeit××??✓

Overview of HintPilot's Features

  • Isolated Data Storage
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Two-Factor Authentication
  • Metadata Removal
  • Case-Management
  • Case Support Through Processing Steps
  • Deadline Management
  • Multilingualism (24 languages)
  • Multi-client capability for corporate groups and business groups
  • Anonymous Reports
  • Anonymous Dialogue
  • Automated Communication
  • PDF Export Feature
  • Custom Branding

HintPilot Safety

  • Ensuring confidentiality through end-to-end encryption and the removal of metadata from file attachments
  • Secure, ISO 27001-certified hosting and information security management system provided by the service provider
  • Data hosted in an ISO 27001-certified data center in Germany
  • Regular positive audit results, including a comprehensive penetration test of the system conducted by external auditors
  • Compliance with Deletion and Authorization Requirements
  • Ensuring data integrity through audit-proofing
  • Ensuring the availability of data and information through 99.9% system uptime per year (subject to software maintenance)
  • GDPR Compliance

Monthly Fixed Costs

EUR 275,–

plus applicable sales tax

  • Includes the provision of a web-based reporting channel
  • Includes one hour of consulting per month for processing reports

Terms and Conditions for Optional Features

  • Telephone Reporting Channel: 69 euros per month, plus VAT
  • Email Reporting Channel: 39 EUR/month plus VAT

Appeal Procedures Under the LkSG

  • Effective January 1, 2023, the LkSG (Act on Corporate Due Diligence in Supply Chains) applies to companies headquartered in Germany that employ more than 3,000 workers in the country
  • As of January 1, 2024, the LkSG applies to companies that employ more than 1,000 workers in Germany
  • Under the LkSG, companies must ensure that an appropriate grievance procedure is established to report human rights-related environmental risks or violations of relevant obligations

Procedure in accordance with the agreed rules of procedure

Acknowledgment of Receipt and Confidential Communication with Parties Involved/Whistleblowers

Documentation of actions the company has taken in response to complaints

Easy access for potential participants/whistleblowers

Allowing anonymous complaints

Impartial Conduct by the Parties to the Proceedings

Protection of the confidentiality of the identities of the parties involved/whistleblowers outside the complaint procedure pursuant to § 8(4) LkSG

Option of a single point of contact for complaints under the LkSG and reports under the HinSchG

Option to set up a dedicated complaint channel with a customized role and permissions structure