For the STAHLWILLE Group, compliant and lawful behavior are fundamental pillars of its actions.
On December 16, 2019, the EU introduced the so-called "Whistleblower Directive" across Europe. This directive deals with the protection of persons who report violations of Union law or national law. The implementation at the federal level for Germany is carried out through the Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG), which came into effect on July 2, 2023.
The protection of whistleblowers is very important. Regardless of whether reports concern violations of German law, EU law, or internal STAHLWILLE regulations, it is essential that no employment-related consequences arise for the reporting person. Additionally, persons who are directly or indirectly connected to the whistleblower or the reported situation are also protected from reprisals. This includes, for example, colleagues or relatives. These measures aim to encourage individuals to report violations, knowing that this law protects both themselves and those in their immediate environment.
Based on these requirements, the STAHLWILLE Group has established an internal reporting office that can be contacted at any time by both employees and external parties.
The directive protects individuals who, to the best of their knowledge, believe their report to be true. This is an important safeguard to ensure that people who intentionally and knowingly report false or misleading information are not protected under this directive. The same applies to reports of information that is already fully public or that are based on unfounded speculation or rumors.
At the same time, this requirement ensures that protection also applies to persons who, in good faith, report inaccurate information about violations. Similarly, this applies to reports of violations that have not yet occurred but are likely to occur in the near future due to actions or omissions that give the whistleblower sufficient reason to believe so. Therefore, individuals are also protected under this law when they do not report explicit events but instead express reasonable concerns or suspicions in their report.
To submit reports, the STAHLWILLE Group has set up an internal reporting office that affected persons can contact.
In principle, it is possible to submit reports anonymously. However, this often makes further processing difficult, as follow-up questions regarding the facts of the case cannot be asked.
Confidentiality is maintained in every case of reporting. This applies, similar to the protection against employment-related reprisals, not only to the reporting person but also to persons indirectly involved, including intermediaries, colleagues, or relatives of the whistleblower. The identities of these persons are also protected and treated confidentially during the processing of a report.
You can reach our reporting office via the email address: hinweisgeber@stahlwille.de.
Reports are evaluated, processed, and reviewed for compliance with the scope of the law by staff within the reporting office. Certain legal requirements must also be met. A person who has submitted a report will receive a confirmation of receipt. Additionally, the reporting person will be informed about planned and, if applicable, already implemented measures that have been initiated based on the report.
For this reason, in order to ensure effective cooperation and resolution of the reported issues, it is important to be able to communicate with the reporting person, even though anonymous reports are always possible.