Trust and Transparency: Our Whistleblower System
As a group of companies, we have always had a clear position in favor of legal compliance.
To better fulfill this commitment, we have established a whistleblower portal for reporting violations of the law. This is the fastest, easiest, and most secure way to report violations within the company.
Separately, we want to assure you that we always strive to create an environment of trust where things can be discussed openly. Therefore, we consider the whistleblower system to be a last resort and would like to remind you that the whistleblower system is not intended to replace existing communication channels, but is merely an additional means of reporting information.
You also have the option of using external reporting procedures, although you should prefer to report internally if the violation can be effectively addressed internally. Information on external reporting procedures can be found on the homepage of the Federal Office of Justice (https://www.bundesjustizamt.de/DE/MeldestelledesBundes/MeldestelledesBundes_node.html).
These external reporting offices will contact you with an acknowledgement of receipt and advise you of the option to report to our internal reporting office. If, after reviewing your report, the external reporting office concludes that it falls within the scope of the Whistleblower Protection Act and that the allegation is valid, it may contact our Company to clarify the facts. If the external reporting office does not have jurisdiction or is unable to investigate the reported violation within a reasonable time, it will refer the matter to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. Minor violations are often not prosecuted by the authorities.
In order to detect misconduct quickly and to stop a violation immediately, we ask you to use our Internal Reporting Office as a matter of priority. Doing so will help your colleagues and the company.
Whistleblower Portal
The fastest, easiest and safest way to report violations of existing laws.