Whistleblower System at www.rietmann.de
Responsible, fair, and sustainable business practices have always been paramount for our company and are an integral part of Rietmann’s values. We are convinced that only such entrepreneurial conduct leads to long-term success. However, we can only achieve this goal in global competition together with our employees and business partners. Therefore, we demand that they comply with laws, human rights, and environmental and social standards.
Violations of applicable law or internal regulations jeopardize our long-term corporate success. To gain early knowledge of potential legal infringements, we offer our employees, partners (customers, suppliers, service providers, etc.), and other third parties the opportunity to discreetly and securely report grievances within the Rietmann company.
The Rietmann Whistleblower System serves as an early warning system through which information on possible violations of applicable law and internal regulations can be reported. The independent whistleblower office maintains and is responsible for the whistleblower system on behalf of the management.
All received reports are comprehensively analyzed and clarified. Measures for the prevention of future violations are developed and implemented into our business and work processes.
As a whistleblower or reporting person, the Whistleblower Protection Act guarantees you, in addition to the confidential handling of your report, protection against negative consequences and reprisals.
Legal Background
The Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG) came into force on July 2, 2023. The law protects so-called “whistleblowers” from possible reprisals within the company. The aim is to uncover and eliminate internal corporate misconduct as quickly as possible.
Information on the law can be found on the pages of the Federal Ministry of Justice.
[https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hinschg/]
Typical Whistleblowing Topics
The whistleblower service of Theodor Rietmann GmbH was developed to report possible violations of applicable law and internal regulations. Examples:
- Tax evasion, bribery, corruption
- Discrimination, sexual harassment,
- Health, safety, environment,
- Data protection, network and information security,
- Theft,
- General legal violations,
- Violations by business partners, such as supplier conduct with human rights or environmental risks.
Procedure
The use of the Theodor Rietmann GmbH whistleblower service is confidential. You do not have to disclose your identity. However, you should provide us with as much information as possible so that we can best investigate your report and communicate with you if we have any questions.
To ensure you do not leave a digital footprint on Theodor Rietmann GmbH’s IT systems (which might make you identifiable) when submitting your report, you should edit our fillable PDF document on your private PC and send it via your private email account to our whistleblower service (rietmann@hinweisgeberservice.net). Incoming reports are processed by our data protection officer.
If you wish to report misconduct by the whistleblower service or our external data protection officer, please send your report to j.kumpch@rietmann.de or to an external reporting body.
Your information will be reviewed by the whistleblower service and analyzed together with the affected department. Your identity will not be disclosed.
Please prioritize using our internal reporting body. This allows us to have direct and quick influence.
Of course, you are free to use an external reporting body.
Content of Your Report
Your report should contain as much information and as many details as possible about the incident:
- What is your concern? (As comprehensive a description of the incident as possible)
- When did it happen? (Date, time)
- Where did it happen? (Location of the incident)
- Who is involved or affected? (Names of persons involved)
- Names of all witnesses (if any)
- Details, evidence, photos
How to Submit a Report
Please prioritize using the internal reporting body of Theodor Rietmann GmbH to submit your report. This allows us to have direct and quick influence.
Download PDF file: HERE
Contact for the internal reporting body: rietmann@hinweisgeberservice.net
If you wish to encrypt your report end-to-end, please use the public key (fingerprint) of the whistleblower office: B0BD 3CF0 834D 54D6 F436 F34A 6B72 5EAB 61D0 4B33
Of course, you are free to use an external reporting body:
PDF Template for a Report
Feel free to use our PDF form to report an incident / observation.
Please send the completed form by email to our whistleblower service: rietmann@hinweisgeberservice.net
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
To strengthen Theodor Rietmann GmbH in its endeavor to act as a reliable, integral, and legally compliant company that treats its employees, customers, and suppliers with respect and trust, thereby ensuring fair, safe, and integral workplaces. Misconduct can have a negative effect on the work environment and reputation. By reporting misconduct, you can help, for example, by uncovering fraud cases, preventing monetary damage, and maintaining a safe working environment for employees.
There is no legal obligation to do so. By using IT systems, you may be identifiable. In some cases, it is also not possible to remain anonymous because your identity may be revealed by the information provided.
However, we will always try to respect your wish for anonymity. We will only disclose your identity if there is a compelling legal obligation to do so.
Your report to the internal reporting body is made via email. Your report will be processed there. If the affected department is involved in the processing of your report, this will happen without disclosing your identity.
Provide the Theodor Rietmann GmbH whistleblower service with as much information as possible, e.g.:
- Names of persons involved
- Names of all witnesses (if any)
- Date, time, and location of the incident(s)
- Details of possible evidence
- Amounts of money / assets involved
- Frequency of the incident
Most reported cases are uncovered by honest people who were initially unsure about the facts. You are not expected to know every detail. It is perfectly sufficient if you report what you know. In cases of doubt, mark your report as a suspicion or a statement from third parties.
After submitting your report, you do not need to concern yourself further with it. However, if you have new or additional information or wish to make changes to your original report, you can contact the whistleblower service again.
If you prefer a personal meeting, please arrange an appointment with the whistleblower office. The meeting can take place at a neutral location.
You can contact the Theodor Rietmann GmbH whistleblower service as often as you wish or deem necessary.
In individual cases, law enforcement authorities may also be involved as part of the investigations.
Whether an investigation takes place or not depends on various factors, such as the information provided, the details, and the documentation of the incident. Theodor Rietmann GmbH decides on the necessary measures as part of processing the report.
When you contact the Theodor Rietmann GmbH whistleblower service, your personal data will only be collected to the extent that you provide it. This also applies to information regarding other persons in connection with the incident. The data processing of the whistleblower service takes place outside the IT systems of Theodor Rietmann GmbH with a service provider.
We recommend that you do not save any data related to the incident (e.g., the completed PDF file) on a Theodor Rietmann GmbH IT system, but rather on your private PC.
Whistleblowers who are proven to have knowingly reported and disclosed false information may be sanctioned.
In such cases, the whistleblower may be obliged to compensate for damages resulting from an intentional or grossly negligent report (§ 38 HinSchG).