Understand how the whistleblower feature works
The whistleblower feature has two parts: a public portal where whistleblowers report cases, and the whistleblower area in Kenjo where responsible people handle these cases. A whistleblower is anyone who reports a suspected wrongdoing. A case is a single report. The responsible people are the employees assigned to a case or a category. The access code is the key the whistleblower uses to open their case in the portal later.
This is how a case works:
The whistleblower creates a case in the portal and receives an access code.
The responsible people handle the case in the whistleblower area in Kenjo.
The whistleblower checks the status in the portal at any time with their access code.
The responsible people set the case to Resolved or Archived.
Who sees what:
Role | Access |
Admin, HR Admin | Always see the Whistleblower menu item. Only they can change settings and see the Global status. |
Employees with an assignment | See the menu item only if they are assigned to at least one case or category. |
Whistleblower | Doesn't need Kenjo access. They use the public portal. |
Activate the whistleblower feature
Admins and HR Admins activate the feature under Settings > Features > Whistleblower with the toggle. Only Admins and HR Admins can activate it. If the feature isn't enabled for your organization, Kenjo shows a lock icon and an unlock window when you try to activate it. The feature then stays off.
Under Settings, check that the company name and company logo are correct. The portal shows both to whistleblowers.
Go to Settings > Features > Whistleblower and turn on the toggle.
Open the Whistleblower menu item in the sidebar.
After activation, Admins, HR Admins, and employees assigned to a category or case see the menu item in the sidebar.
On first activation, Kenjo creates the portal and 15 default categories. The person who activates the feature first is the responsible person for all default categories.
Manage categories
Under Whistleblower > Settings > Categories you define which types of cases can be reported and who handles them. A category is the topic of a case, for example fraud or corruption. Every category has at least one responsible person, and new cases are automatically assigned to the responsible people of their category.
Kenjo includes these 15 default categories: Abuse of power, Auditors act, Bribery, Competition law, Conflict of interest, Corruption, Fraud, Money laundering, Other, Procurement fraud, Protection of Children, Rights and protection of individuals, Sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment, Terrorism, Unacceptable Behavior.
Create a category
Click Create whistleblower category.
Enter a Category name.
Under Category responsible(s), select at least one employee.
Click Create category.
Change responsibles
Click the three dots next to the category and select Change responsibles for this category.
Remove employees or add new ones.
Click Update category.
The change only applies to new cases. Existing cases keep their responsible people. To reassign existing cases, use Transfer cases.
Delete a category
Click the three dots, select Delete this category, and confirm. A deleted category is no longer available for new cases. Existing cases stay assigned to this category. You can't edit the name of a category. If you want to change the name, delete the category and create it again.
Set up automations
Automations let Kenjo send replies and emails automatically when cases are created or updated. You find them under Whistleblower > Settings > Automations. If automations aren't enabled for your organization, Kenjo shows a lock icon and you can't turn them on.
Turn on Enable automations for the Whistleblower feature. While this toggle is off, the individual rules can't be selected. If you turn it off, all three rules are switched off.
Turn on the rules you need.
Rule | What happens |
Send a first response automatically | Every new case immediately gets an automatic reply. This is how you confirm receipt of the case to the whistleblower, as the law requires. |
Send an email to the case responsibles when a new case is created | The responsible people get an email for every new case. |
Send an email to the case responsibles when a case is updated | The responsible people get an email when the whistleblower updates their case. |
The automations only start after the whistleblower has confirmed that they saved their access code. If the whistleblower entered an email address when creating the case, they receive email notifications regardless of these settings.
Customize the portal
Under Whistleblower > Settings > Portal Configuration you define which languages your whistleblower portal offers and which text whistleblowers see there. You also find the URL of your whistleblower portal here. Anyone who knows the link can open the portal. Publish it where your employees can find it, for example on the intranet or the company website.
Select the tab of the language you want to edit.
Turn on the toggle to offer the language in the portal. If the toggle is off, the language isn't available in the portal.
Write your own portal text in the text editor.
Click Update portal page. Click Discard changes to reset unsaved changes.
If you save your own text for a language, it completely replaces the default text of the portal. The default text also contains the note that HR-related matters can't be reported through the portal. Include this note in your own text if it should still apply. The portal only shows the language selection if more than one language is active. As long as you have unsaved changes, you can't switch to another language tab. If you don't see your changes, reload the portal page.
Transfer cases
With Transfer cases, Admins and HR Admins assign existing cases to new responsible people, for example when a responsible person leaves the company. You find the function under Whistleblower > Settings > Transfer cases.
This action can't be undone. It changes who can see the cases. Former responsible people no longer see the case if you replace them.
Click Transfer cases.
Under Cases to transfer, select what you want to transfer (see the table below).
Click Next and select the employees under New responsibles. You can only transfer cases to active employees.
Decide whether your selection replaces the current responsible people or is added to the list.
Check the Transfer summary and click Assign cases.
Option | When to use it |
Assign responsibles by category | All cases of a category get new responsible people. Only categories with at least one case are shown. |
Assign responsibles depending on the current responsible | All cases of a specific responsible person change. The selection also includes inactive and deleted employees. |
Set responsibles for specific case | You select a single case by its case number. For privacy reasons, you only see the case number. |
The new responsible people get an email, even if automations are turned off.
Keep track of cases
Under Whistleblower > Overview you see the status of all cases assigned to you. The overview has three areas: Global status, Your whistleblower cases, and Your whistleblower categories.
Global status
The Global status is only visible to Admins and HR Admins. It summarizes all cases in the organization without revealing details. You only see details for cases assigned to you.
Metric | When visible | Meaning |
Open cases | Always | Cases that haven't been closed yet |
Cases updated in the last 7 days | Always | Including messages from and to the whistleblower, excluding internal notes |
Cases created in the last 30 days | Always | New cases in the last month |
Cases closed in the last 30 days | Always | Cases closed in the last month |
Cases at risk | Only if at least one case is affected | Cases that will be overdue in less than 15 days |
Cases overdue | Only if at least one case is affected | Cases that haven't been closed for 90 days |
Categories without responsibles | Only if at least one category is affected | Categories whose responsible people are missing, deleted, or deactivated |
Cases without responsibles | Only if at least one case is affected | Cases whose responsible people are missing, deleted, or deactivated |
The four warning cards only appear when they show something. Click Review to jump to the affected cases or categories. Use the refresh icon to reload the numbers. Two charts show the cases per status and open and closed cases per category.
Your whistleblower cases
Here you see all cases you're responsible for, with Case #, Status, Subject, Category name, Severity, Created date, Last update on, Closed date, and # of responsibles. The list is sorted in this order:
Cases with unread comments (bold, with an icon next to the subject)
Overdue cases
Cases at risk (overdue in less than 15 days)
Cases in progress
Resolved cases
Archived cases
Your whistleblower categories
Here you see the categories you're responsible for. New cases of these categories are automatically assigned to you.
Handle a whistleblower case
You handle a case on the Whistleblower case details page. Click the Case # or the Subject in the case list to open it. The page shows the description, attachments, status, severity, conversation, and internal notes. In the portal, the whistleblower sees the case number, status, category, date, subject, description, attachments, messages, and the names of the responsible people. For anonymous reports, Reported by shows “Anonymous”.
Communicate with the whistleblower
In the Case conversation area, you write messages to the whistleblower and read their replies. Use the paper clip icon in the message field to add files. If the whistleblower reported anonymously, they stay anonymous in the conversation too.
Write internal notes
Under Internal notes, you write notes that only you and the other responsible people of the case can see. The whistleblower never sees them. Changes to notes don't appear in the history. If internal notes aren't enabled for your organization, the area is grayed out and Kenjo shows an unlock window.
Change status and severity
The status shows how far the handling has progressed. The severity is your internal rating of how important a case is. Click the status to open the status menu, and click Severity to change the severity. You can choose any status directly. There is no fixed order.
Field | Values | Visible to the whistleblower? |
Status | New, In progress, Waiting for whistleblower, Resolved, Archived | Yes. You confirm a dialog before the change. The whistleblower can receive an email notification if they entered an address. |
Severity | Low, Medium, High, Critical, Without severity | No. The crossed-out eye icon shows this. The whistleblower isn't notified, and the change doesn't appear in the history. |
View the history
Click Show history at the top right. The history lists with date and person: Created, Viewed, Edited, Sent new message, every status change, reassignments, and when the whistleblower reopened the case. The history is only visible in the whistleblower area, not in the portal.
Close and reopen cases
Cases can't be deleted for legal reasons, only archived. Resolved and Archived close a case. In closed cases, no new messages are possible.
If you want to work on a closed case again as a responsible person, select a different status in the status menu, for example In progress.
If the whistleblower reopens a closed case with Reopen case, Kenjo sets the status to New and notifies the responsible people.
Consider legal requirements
The whistleblower feature in Kenjo helps you implement the EU Whistleblower Directive (EU) 2019/1937. This includes that whistleblowers can report their case confidentially and receive confirmation of receipt. With the automation Send a first response automatically, you confirm receipt automatically.
Which obligations apply to your company depends on the law and on your company size. Check this with legal counsel. This section isn't legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I delete a whistleblower case?
No. For legal reasons, cases can only be archived. Archived cases are kept and can be reopened.
Why don't I see the Whistleblower menu item?
Admins and HR Admins see it as soon as the feature is activated. If you aren't an admin, you only see it if you're assigned to at least one case or category.
Can I change the name of a category?
No. You can only change the responsible people. If you want to change the name, delete the category and create it again with the new name.
What happens if a whistleblower loses their access code?
The code can't be restored, neither by the admin nor by Kenjo. The whistleblower can then no longer open the case in the portal and has to create a new case.
Does the whistleblower see the severity and the internal notes?
No. Both are only visible to the responsible people. The whistleblower sees the status and the messages in the case conversation.
Who can reopen a closed case?
The whistleblower reopens it in the portal with Reopen case, then the status is New. Responsible people select a different status in the status menu.
Why can't I use the automations or the internal notes?
Both features must be enabled for your organization. If they aren't, Kenjo shows a lock icon and you can't turn them on.
Do whistleblowers see who handles their case?
Yes. In the portal, the names of the responsible people are shown on the case.