A digital whistleblowing system receives reports of misconduct securely and, if the whistleblower wishes, anonymously. On this page you will find out what the advantages and disadvantages of online forms are as a reporting channel, how to structure a whistleblowing form and what to bear in mind when using LamaPoll. You will find a free template further down.
Advantages and disadvantages of whistleblowing systems
Whistleblowing systems cover a range of mechanisms such as hotlines, online and paper forms, ombudspersons, specialised tools or a combination of these. The systems differ in many respects, including anonymity, accessibility and ease of reach, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. A telephone hotline involves a certain psychological barrier, not to mention the risk of being identified by one's voice. Specialised tools, on the other hand, are often still quite expensive or come bundled with extensive consulting services.
Online forms are considered a particularly simple, cost-effective and secure way to submit reports. Why? Key requirements for a whistleblowing system are the whistleblower's anonymity and a low barrier to reporting. So it stands to reason that an anonymous link to an online reporting form has considerable advantages over a stack of paper forms that anyone can see.
Other benefits of setting up a whistleblowing system with LamaPoll online forms are lower costs and ease of use. The person responsible receives an email notification as soon as the form has been submitted. The report can then be viewed immediately in the live results. If you already use LamaPoll, you do not need an additional tool. If not, you get software that can do far more than a specialised whistleblowing tool.
Advantages of online reporting forms
- No identification through handwriting
- No identification, unlike email and telephone
- No IP addresses (if you create the reporting form with LamaPoll)
- Accessible from anywhere with a low barrier to reporting; nobody has to pick up a form
- Cost-effective and simple
- Scalability: online forms can be expanded as needed to handle a growing volume of reports
- Data security: secure transmission protocols and encryption help online forms protect the confidentiality and integrity of the reports submitted
- Data integration: online forms allow reports to be integrated seamlessly into existing databases or systems, making further processing and analysis easier
Possible disadvantages
- With long texts, a person may be identifiable by their writing style (though this is not specific to online forms, the same applies offline)
- Easy access could encourage fake reports and pranksters (on the other hand, large numbers of reports are much easier to evaluate than with the alternatives)
- Technical requirements: using online forms requires a stable internet connection
- Limited interaction: compared with face-to-face conversations or phone calls, online forms offer limited scope for interaction. It can be difficult to convey complex or detailed information fully in writing. Follow-up questions are only possible if the person voluntarily provides contact details
Everything you need to know about the German Whistleblower Protection Act: which companies are affected, which requirements and duties apply, the deadlines for setting up reporting offices and how an online form can be used as a reporting channel: Whistleblower Protection Act
What to consider when creating your online form
Ideally, your whistleblowing form should cover every possible scenario. Don't just think of the standard case, in which a whistleblower wants to report misconduct. Also allow for the possibility that the person wants to comment again on an existing case, for example to submit further evidence or even clear up a misunderstanding. A potential whistleblower may also need advice themselves. These three cases alone require different paths through the online form and different ways of getting in touch.
The option to get in touch is just as important. Not every whistleblower wants to remain anonymous, and those who do can provide an anonymous email address. Follow-up questions may be useful and even necessary, especially if the person is seeking advice. So give people the (optional) choice of entering their contact details. Under the German Whistleblower Protection Act, the reporting office must acknowledge receipt of a report within seven days and provide feedback within three months (Section 17 HinSchG). This is only possible if there is a way to contact the whistleblower. Our help desk explains how to ask for contact details while keeping responses anonymous: Anonymous surveys with contact details
Structure and question types of the online form
How you structure an online form and which question types you choose depends on the information you want to collect. Should evidence be uploaded and an incident described, or is someone seeking advice? Is there new information on an incident that has already been reported, or is someone perhaps trying to clear up an incident? In an online form, you can use conditional visibility and branching to show only the relevant topics. Start with the appropriate filter questions.
The question types in the online form largely choose themselves: mainly open text fields and, for easier categorisation, choice questions. This makes the form simpler, more accessible and easy to use even on older devices or with a poor internet connection. There is no need for large matrix or ranking questions. What does matter is the upload function, so that evidence can be uploaded and submitted. Our help desk gives an overview of all question types: Using question types
Using LamaPoll as a whistleblowing system and for surveys
This is important if you already have a LamaPoll account (and want to use the online whistleblowing form in that account) or if you want to use your LamaPoll licence for other forms, questionnaires and surveys as well. In these cases, there are two options:
- The account is managed by the person responsible (compliance, legal, works council, etc.). In that case, no further action is needed.
- The account is also used by other people and departments who must not have access to the whistleblowing form. In this case, bear in mind that the administrator of the LamaPoll account can see all surveys. So either make the person responsible the administrator (see option 1) or contact us so that we can restrict the administrator's rights.
Other users in the account only have access to the survey folders you share with them. So put the whistleblowing form in a separate folder that you do not share with anyone else. Sharing with users and teams is available from the Platinum plan upwards. Our help desk explains how it works: Assigning and sharing surveys
More tips for your online reporting form
- If you use a standard online form for your whistleblowing process, adapt the options to your organisation.
- Make sure your reporting system complies with data protection law. Find out what this involves: Whistleblowing and data protection
- The form should be accessible without a password or any other restrictions.
- Ask for all relevant information. Bear in mind that whistleblowers may not know which details could be relevant, and that follow-up questions are not possible without contact details.
- Think about accessibility and pay attention to contrast and font size. See our help desk for tips: Creating accessible surveys
- Use clear and precise language: make sure the questions and instructions in the form are clear and easy to understand. Avoid jargon and complex legal wording to prevent misunderstandings.
- Internal reporting channels must allow reports to be made orally or in writing (Section 16(3) HinSchG). Consider offering a telephone reporting option alongside the online form.
Template for an online whistleblowing form
You can copy the following template to your LamaPoll account free of charge and use it straight away. You can (and should) of course adapt the template to your organisation.
Conclusion
In short, online forms offer an efficient and cost-effective approach to whistleblowing. They allow reports to be submitted anonymously and with a low barrier, while also making it possible to upload evidence and provide contact details on a voluntary basis. They eliminate many of the drawbacks of other reporting channels. Even so, there is a lot to consider and plan in advance.
With LamaPoll, surveys can be created quickly and easily. The tool offers many options for individual adjustments. The help pages are useful for solving many questions independently. For special requests, competent and easily accessible customer support is available.
What is LamaPoll?
LamaPoll is a survey tool for creating online questionnaires. Our survey tool lets you create, run and analyse online questionnaires quickly and easily. Create your questionnaire in just a few steps, customise it for your organisation and conveniently invite customers or employees by email. An online questionnaire enables you to gather insights quickly and easily to improve customer or employee satisfaction. You can register for the LamaPoll survey tool free of charge and immediately create and run online surveys with up to 50 participants. If you need more responses for your online questionnaire, simply choose one of our plans: billed monthly, cancel any month. You can also choose from our online questionnaire templates and examples.
