Whistleblowing law remains controversial – but also offers opportunities for companies

Dusseldorf It takes courage to address things like fraud or bribery on the job. Employees who want to point out such grievances often only find a piece of paper in the coffee kitchen with a telephone number – often this is the direct number to the managing director personally.

But if that is where the problem lies, this whistleblower hotline will not help. Lawyer Thomas Hey repeatedly encounters this unfavorable starting position when he advises companies on labor law issues for the Federal Association of Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW).

To ensure that reporting of grievances works better in the future, Germany has introduced a new law: the Whistleblower Protection Act passed by the Bundestag is to come into force in May and also better protect whistleblowers. Today, however, it has been stopped for the time being by resistance from the federal states governed by the Union in the Bundesrat. The country heads, the new regulation goes too far. Now the mediation committee has to find a solution.