Establishment of a whistleblower system (internal reporting office)
K-tronik GmbH attaches great importance to compliance with legal regulations and internal codes of conduct. In order to live up to this claim, it is important to learn about possible misconduct on the part of our employees. This is because information can be very valuable in helping to uncover or prevent legal violations.
For this reason, we have set up an internal reporting office for our company in accordance with the provisions of the Whistleblower Protection Act, which will process incoming reports independently and confidentially. This ensures the greatest possible protection for all parties involved in the investigation of the reported misconduct.
Objective of the Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG)
The aim is to protect people who have obtained information about violations by colleagues or managers in the course of their professional activities and report them. The HinSchG prohibits any reprisals against whistleblowers and obliges companies to set up secure internal reporting points for whistleblowing.
In addition to internal reporting offices, there are also external reporting offices operated by the federal government or the federal states. These are also open to all whistleblowers.
K-tronik GmbH encourages everyone inside and outside the company who observes or suspects violations of rules in connection with our company to contact our internal reporting office without fear of reprisals and report the information.
The identity of the whistleblower and the persons who are the subject of the report, as well as other persons named in the report, are treated confidentially and are only visible to our representative of the internal reporting office (ombudsman Werner Stolz); However, there is no protection for whistleblowers in the event of the deliberate or grossly negligent disclosure of incorrect information; In such cases, the person providing the information in bad faith may even be obliged to compensate for the damage.
Which violations can be reported?
Not every report of a violation of legal provisions is covered by the HinSchG. A list of all violations covered can be found in Section 2 of the Whistleblower Protection Act, including:
Criminal offenses
Violations for which a fine is payable, insofar as the penultimate provision serves to protect life, limb or health or to protect the rights of employees
Other breaches of EU legislation with provisions (on product safety, the safe transportation of dangerous goods, environmental protection, consumer protection, data protection, public procurement law, competition law
You can find the full text of the Whistleblower Protection Act here: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hinschg
You can find the full text of the Whistleblower Protection Act here: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hinschg
Which persons can be whistleblowers and use the internal reporting office?
It is required that whistleblowers have obtained the information about an infringement in connection with their professional activity; This means that the following persons can act as informants:
Employees, temporary employees, former employees, applicants, governing bodies, etc.
Clients, contractors, business partners, competitors, service providers, suppliers, etc.
How can whistleblowers report?
The reporting of the above-mentioned violations can be entered easily and smoothly via these established platforms:
A personal appointment can also be made on request, but you must first contact us via one of the channels listed;
We encourage all whistleblowers to use the reporting office provided by K-tronik GmbH; It can also be used anonymously and there are no reprisals associated with it. If an external reporting office is preferred for submitting a report, please refer to the Federal Government's external reporting office at the Federal Office of Justice;
Process flow of the internal reporting office
After submitting a tip-off, whistleblowers will receive a confirmation of receipt within 7 days; The reference will be checked thoroughly; If further information is required, our lawyer Werner Stolz will contact the whistleblowers;
An investigation will only be initiated if this initial assessment indicates a suspected violation; The results of the investigation are then evaluated and appropriate measures are taken;
Within 3 months of confirmation of receipt of the report at the latest, the whistleblowers will be informed of the test result, planned or already taken follow-up measures and the reasons for these.
Your information will help us to avert serious disadvantages for K-tronik GmbH, our employees and our business partners.
Thank you for your support
An investigation will only be initiated if this initial assessment indicates a suspected violation; The results of the investigation are then evaluated and appropriate measures are taken;
Within 3 months of confirmation of receipt of the report at the latest, the whistleblowers will be informed of the test result, planned or already taken follow-up measures and the reasons for these.
Your information will help us to avert serious disadvantages for K-tronik GmbH, our employees and our business partners.
Thank you for your support