Whistleblower Reporting

FAQ

• What can I report?

  If employees of the Weischer Group or other persons act contrary to our company interests, or if you have evidence of this, or if they behave incorrectly in any other way, you can report this.This includes serious compliance violations and criminal offences such as corruption and fraud, theft and embezzlement, coercion and bullying.But also breaches of rules such as discrimination, abuse of power or environmental or human rights-related risks and other breaches of duty.

  Even imminent or planned violations can and should be reported.Even if there are mere suspicions.

  Whistleblowers do not face any disadvantages even in the event of suspicions that ultimately turn out to be unfounded.
  However, the whistleblower system is not suitable for complaints or for reporting emergencies!

• How does a report work?

  Describe the facts of the case as precisely as possible to our lawyers of trust.

  Name the company or organisational unit concerned and the persons involved, as well as the time and place of the incident.Also provide us with the names of any witnesses.

  If possible, also send documents such as pictures, emails, etc. that support the suspicion.

  You decide which data you would like to provide, whether you would like to remain anonymous or whether you would like to make yourself available to the confidential counsellors we have appointed to answer questions.

  Within seven days of receiving your report, you will receive confirmation of receipt from the reporting centre, provided you have left your contact details. Within a further three months, you will receive feedback on the further handling of your report and the measures taken. Please note that when providing this feedback, we must ensure that any ongoing internal investigations are not jeopardised and that the rights of third parties are not impaired.

  Our trusted lawyers will review your report and report to the responsible office of the Weischer Group in accordance with the law and data protection regulations. They will then take any necessary follow-up measures.

• How is my data protected?

  All your personal details will be treated confidentially. If you wish, you can submit your report anonymously.

  The whistleblower system fulfils the legal requirements. All reports are received by trusted lawyers and processed responsibly before they are forwarded to the Weischer office responsible for processing whistleblower reports.

  The documentation of your report will be deleted by Weischer no later than three years after the conclusion of the procedure, unless statutory regulations prevent deletion.

• Will I be at a disadvantage if I make a report?

  Whistleblowers are subject to legal protection if they have sufficient reason to believe that the information they have reported is true at the time of reporting to the internal reporting centre.

  For this protection to apply, the report must concern a matter that is subject to the Whistleblower Protection Act or other relevant laws. In particular, criminal offences and serious administrative offences. In addition, the report must relate to the Weischer Group or another organisation with which you as the whistleblower are or have been in professional contact.

  Whistleblowers must not suffer any disadvantages under labour law in these cases, even if a reported suspicion subsequently turns out to be unfounded.

• How can I submit a report?

  There are various reporting channels available to you: You can submit your report to the Reporting Centre via the web form, in person, by telephone, by email or by letter using the contact details above.

  You also have the option of submitting your report to an official reporting centre. These are the federal government’s external reporting office at the Federal Office of Justice, external reporting offices set up by the federal states and the external reporting offices responsible for specific cases, for example at the Federal Cartel Office or the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority. You can also submit your report to EU institutions, bodies, offices or other agencies. For example, the external reporting channels of the Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). You can find the contact details on the website of the respective authority. On request, we or our trusted lawyers will be happy to provide you with further information on the external reporting procedures.

  However, the law stipulates that, as a whistleblower, you should give preference to reporting to the aforementioned internal reporting office over the external official reporting office if effective action can be taken internally against offences.

• Who can I contact if I am not sure whether I should use the whistleblowing system?

  You can contact the reporting centre by phone or email using the contact details given above if you have any questions. If in doubt, however, it makes sense to use the whistleblower system. Our trusted lawyers handle incoming reports responsibly and prudently and process them on the basis of a wealth of experience.