Employees, business partners and external parties have the right to report circumstances that indicate a breach of the law or our internal rules. This information can be reported to the ombudsman. The ombudsman offers a legally protected and confidential service outside the company. It informs whistleblowers about their rights and how the information they provide will be handled. The ombudsman will only share this information with its contact at the company if the whistleblower [1] consents to this. The ombudsman can be asked to act as a representative in the matter. The ombudsman is always available for the whistleblower to contact.

[1] Any gendered terms always include people of all genders. The HRS Group is committed to the Diversity Charter and considers everyone to be equal, regardless of gender, age, background, religion, disability or sexual orientation. The wording of this text has been chosen solely to make the text easier to read.

All employees and external parties, such as suppliers or service providers, can contact the ombudsman.

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The ombudsman accepts information regarding breaches of the law and our internal rules. The main objective is to investigate and prevent economic offenses, accounting offenses and financial losses. However, any violations of internal policies such as the Code of Conduct can also be reported to the ombudsman. Confidential and anonymous reports of discrimination, sexual harassment or similar issues can also be submitted to the ombudsman.  

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Yes. The whistleblower alone decides what information to provide to the ombudsman and what information the ombudsman can pass on to the company in the second step of the process. The ombudsman is only permitted to pass on information against the wishes of the whistleblower in cases of misuse, i.e. if the whistleblower has intentionally provided incorrect information. The ombudsman will make this clear upon initial contact with the whistleblower.

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No, the ombudsman is free to use.

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