In addition to internal contacts, the Ombudsman offers an independent and confidential reporting channel for raising concerns about misconduct, illegal behaviour and violations of laws and internal policies. Reports may concern criminal offences, antitrust law, occupational health and safety, human rights, discrimination, sustainability, and environmental issues, among other things.
The reporting system helps prevent potential harm to employees, business partners, and Weidmüller by identifying and addressing risks at an early stage.
Active or former employees of Weidmüller as well as business partners can contact the external Ombudsman with hints (anonymously if preferred).
The use of the Ombudsman is free of charge for the reporting person. For more information, how to submit a complaint and how to deal with it, please see the following FAQ.
Loebellstraße 4
D - 33602 Bielefeld
Phone: +49 (0)521 / 55 7 333 0
Mobile: +49 (0)151 / 58 2 303 21
Email: ombudsman@thielvonherff.com
Reporting platform: https://report-tvh.com/
Homepage: https://www.thielvonherff.de/
Employees, business partners and also external parties have the right to report circumstances that indicate a violation of laws or internal rules. The Ombudsman receives these reports. He offers a legally protected and confidential area outside the company. He informs the whistleblower about his / her rights and how to proceed. Only with the consent of the whistleblower [1] does the Ombudsman forward the report to his or her contact person in the company. The Ombudsman can be involved in the process as a person of trust. He is available to the whistleblower as a contact person at any time.
[1] This and other references to persons always refer to persons or groups of persons of any gender, because in the sense of the Diversity Charter, all people are of equal value to us, regardless of gender, age, origin, religion, disability or sexual orientation. The choice of words is merely intended to keep the text linguistically simpler.
All employees and external parties, such as suppliers or service providers, can turn to the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman receives reports on violations of the law and violations of internal regulations. The main aim is to clarify and prevent economic crimes, accounting offences and damage to assets. However, all violations of internal guidelines, e.g. the Anti-Corruption Instruction, can also be reported.
Yes. The whistleblower alone decides what information he or she will give to the Ombudsman and what information the Ombudsman should pass on to the company in the second step. Only in the case of misuse, i.e. deliberately false information, is the Ombudsman authorised to pass on information even against the will of the whistleblower. The Ombudsman will explain this at the first contact.
No, the Ombudsman can be used by anyone free of charge.
Yes, whistleblowers can also contact the Ombudsman anonymously. This already applies to the first contact with the Ombudsman. If desired, the Ombudsman will subsequently protect the anonymity of the whistleblower towards the company.
The report will be followed up in compliance with the law and internal rules, taking into account the interests of all parties involved. For this purpose, the Ombudsman forwards the information to his contact person in the company after prior examination.
The whistleblower may contact the Ombudsman at any time to obtain information on the state of affairs. At the latest after the case has been closed, the whistleblower will be informed of the result by the Ombudsman to the extent legally permissible.
No, the Ombudsman is not allowed to represent a whistleblower in official or judicial proceedings. Therefore, the Ombudsman cannot and must not take any steps to enforce the whistleblower's individual rights or claims in court.
Yes. The Ombudsman acts as an independent lawyer and is not subject to any instructions from the company regarding the substantive handling of the case. The Ombudsman decides on the basis of his own due diligence whether and to what extent he may pass on a matter submitted to him to the company.
The first contact can be made in a telephone call, by email, by SMS, by post or in a personal meeting.
Yes, every employee can still contact his or her supervisor, the works council, the compliance department and the management.
Yes. The whistleblower is protected. Any retaliatory action against the whistleblower will not be tolerated.
Despite repeatedly expressed scepticism, cases of denunciation are very rare when an Ombudsman is appointed. Nevertheless, the Ombudsman informs the whistleblower at the beginning of the interview that abuse of the whistleblowing system will not be tolerated and that the Ombudsman is obliged to pass on the whistleblower's personal details to the company in the event of deliberate, i.e. knowing, abuse. In any case, employees who intentionally misuse the whistleblowing system may face disciplinary consequences.
The Ombudsman ensures compliance with the statutory retention obligations and the provisions of data protection law. The personal data collected is limited to information on the identity of the whistleblower and the person(s) concerned. The company's data protection officer regularly checks the data protection conformity of the whistleblower management.
No. The presumption of innocence applies. Every report will be investigated in accordance with the law and internal rules, taking into account the interests of all parties involved. Only after the case has been closed will a decision be made on possible measures.
As long as the information was given in good faith, i.e. not intentionally false, the whistleblower does not have to fear any consequences.
No, contacting the Ombudsman is voluntary. He has been set up as an additional point of contact.
Yes. It is always possible to visit the Ombudsman in person and have a confidential conversation.
Yes.
Yes, travel expenses are reimbursed by the company. The settlement is taken over by the Ombudsman, so that anonymity - as far as necessary - is preserved here as well.
Yes. The whistleblower will be informed of the outcome by the Ombudsman to the extent legally permissible at the latest after the case has been closed.
No. Should the Ombudsman be called as a witness in criminal, civil or other proceedings, he will only disclose the name and identity of the whistleblower seeking advice if he has been expressly permitted to do so by both the company and the whistleblower.
Yes. The Ombudsman can initially be contacted in complete confidence. The Ombudsman informs the whistleblower of his or her rights at the beginning of the conversation. Only at the end of the conversation does the whistleblower then decide whether and in what form the information should be passed on to the company.
The Ombudsman can also be contacted if the whistleblower has committed a criminal offence himself. On the one hand, the Ombudsman can inform the whistleblower of his or her rights; on the other hand, a self-disclosure within the framework of the existing employment relationship is assessed positively and can have a mitigating effect on punishment in possible later court proceedings.
No. Only in narrowly defined exceptional cases of really serious criminal offences is there an obligation for everyone to pass on a report of a criminal offence to a public prosecutor's office.
In this case, the Ombudsman may contact the company's executive management directly.
This cannot be answered in a general way. There are reports that can be processed conclusively within a few hours. In the case of extensive investigations, processing can take several weeks.
