Close a report – status, confidentiality, deletion and access lock

A case is only really concluded once four things are done on the report’s detail page: the status is set, confidentiality is documented, the deletion date is planned and portal access has an end date. This guide walks you through all four steps in the right order.

Prerequisites

• You have permission to edit the report (edit permission).
• For the deletion date you additionally need permission to delete the report (delete permission).
• You are on the detail page of the report in question.
• For the fourth step, portal access for the whistleblower must exist. Only then is the “Edit” button visible in the “Whistleblower” tab.

1. Set the status

The status makes the processing progress recognisable at a glance and is the basis for filtering and evaluation in the report overview. Only the concluding statuses unlock the planning of deletion.

1. In the quick access area, click the menu icon next to the “Status” entry. The “Status” side panel opens.
2. In the “Status” field, choose one of the concluding values: “Closed”, “Rejected” or “Archived”. The values “New” and “In progress” are also available.
3. Click “Save”, or click “Cancel” to close without changes.

The change is logged as an entry in the “Activities and Messages” tab, for example Status changed from New to In progress. The “Deletion on date” entry then additionally appears in the quick access area.

2. Document confidentiality

The HinSchG obliges the reporting office to treat the identity of the whistleblower and other affected persons confidentially. Documenting this status demonstrates compliance with that obligation.

1. On the detail page, switch to the “Confidentiality” tab.
2. In the “Confidentiality” section, click “Edit”. The “Confidentiality” side panel opens.
3. In the “Confidentiality maintained” field, choose “Yes”, “No” or “No information”.
4. Justify your choice in the “Reason confidentiality was maintained” field. Use “Insert text block” to apply predefined wording.
5. Click “Save”, or click “Close” to close without changes.

3. Plan the deletion date

Under the HinSchG, the documentation of a report and the personal data it contains must be deleted as soon as they are no longer required – generally three years after the procedure is concluded.

1. In the quick access area, click the menu icon next to the “Deletion on date” entry. The “Deletion of the report” side panel opens.
2. In the “Deletion on date” field, choose a date. Only dates from today onwards can be selected.
3. Click “Save”, or click “Cancel” to close without changes.

4. Lock the whistleblower’s access

Whistleblowers communicate with the reporting office via a protected portal access. Once the case is concluded, you decide from which date that access is blocked.

1. On the detail page, switch to the “Whistleblower” tab.
2. In the “Access” section, click “Edit”. The “Access” side panel opens.
3. In the “Lock access from” field, choose a date.
4. Click “Save”, or click “Cancel” to close without changes.

From the stored date onwards, the whistleblower can no longer log in to the whistleblower portal.

Tips from practice

• Keep to the order: without one of the statuses “Closed”, “Rejected” or “Archived”, the “Deletion on date” entry is not visible at all.
• Do not set the portal access lock to the same day as the conclusion – give the whistleblower time to read your final feedback in the portal.
• Each of these changes appears in the “Activities and Messages” tab and thereby documents the proper conclusion of the procedure.