Schindhelm WB Solution
Login for contacts →
← Back to home page
Please select your topic
General note →
If you are not sure in which note category your message should be classified, use the category "general note".
Examples of general notes:
(Serious) violations of internal company regulations (e.g. company guidelines, company agreements, work instructions).
Corruption →
Corruption means that someone abuses their professional position or public office to gain an advantage and harm others in the process.
Examples of corruption:
Accepting and giving gifts or other pecuniary advantages (including invitations to business meals/travel) of disproportionate value.
Accepting and giving bribes
Financial services, financial products and financial markets and the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing →
Money laundering includes any activity in which criminally generated proceeds are channeled into and through the financial cycle in order to subsequently be channeled into a legal-looking activity. The money smuggled in was acquired, for example, through corruption, theft or similar criminal acts. In the end, it is no longer possible to see where the money comes from and who it actually belongs to. The money is used in normal monetary transactions. The aim is always to ensure that it remains unknown at all times that the assets are illegal.
Terrorist financing is the provision and collection of assets to carry out a terrorist act, even if they are only partly used to do so.
Other reports in connection with services and products in the investment and financial sector are also to be assigned to this category.
Violations of data and protection of confidentiality as well as protection of privacy and security of network and information systems →
Data protection describes the protection against the improper processing and use of personal data (e.g. name, address, date of birth, e-mail address, IP address, account number).
The protection of confidentiality includes, in particular, the protection of confidential (company) information.
Examples of breaches of data and secrecy protection:
the unlawful disclosure of trade and business secrets (including customer lists, business strategies, etc.)
the misuse of (personal) data
the inadequate protection of access to sensitive personal or company-related data
the regulations on the security of network and information systems pursue the goal of ensuring cyber security. In particular, they aim to prevent security incidents and to manage them in the best possible way in the worst case
Violations of environmental protection regulations →
Environmental protection means the protection of the natural environment and the preservation of the functioning of ecosystems.
Examples of violations of environmental protection regulations:
illegal waste disposal
improper handling of pollutants
water, soil or air pollution
Manipulation of business documents or balance sheets →
This refers in particular to a breach of applicable accounting standards or generally accepted accounting principles resulting in a misstatement in the company's financial reporting.
Examples of manipulation of business documents/balance sheets:
improper creation or falsification of invoices, credit notes, financial statements, audit records
improper destruction of relevant business documents
tax evasion
Violations of antitrust and competition law →
This includes violations that prevent the securing and maintenance of effective competition in the market.
Examples of violations of antitrust law:
illegal price fixing
sharing of customers, markets and/or territories
abuse of a dominant market position of the company
Examples of violations of competition law:
iIllegal agreements in the context of tenders
disparagement of competitors and their products
violations of market conduct rules (e.g. consumer protection rules)
Violations of the provisions of public procurement law →
This includes, in particular, breaches of the statutory rules for the award of contracts in the public sector. Essentially, this concerns contracts awarded by the Federal Government, the Länder or the municipalities, by public institutions and by associations from one or more contracting authorities.
Examples of violations of public procurement rules are:
unequal treatment or discrimination of bidders and candidates
awarding a contract to an unsuitable company
award of a contract disregarding the award criteria
Violations of product safety and conformity regulations →
These include, in particular, violations of regulations intended to ensure general product safety and violations of labelling obligations or rules for the marketing and use of sensitive and dangerous products.
As a rule, the general safety requirements for products are considered not to be fulfilled if the safety of the respective product cannot be guaranteed in accordance with the relevant standards.
Examples of violations in the area of product safety and conformity:
Ccntaminated food or food whose best-before date has passed
defective products that pose hazards to customers
Infringements in the area of transport safety →
This area covers infringements of safety requirements in road transport, railways, civil aviation and maritime transport. Non-compliance with the provisions on the transport of dangerous goods also constitutes such an infringement.
Examples of infringements in the area of transport safety are:
Lack of safety of infrastructure projects
Inadequate safety management in rail infrastructure
Failure to provide or insufficient provision of necessary evidence to ensure the level of safety
Violations in the area of radiation protection and nuclear safety →
This includes, in particular, breaches of safety standards that serve to protect the health of the public against the dangers of ionising radiation and generally ensure protection with regard to radioactive substances.
Examples of violations in the area of radiation protection and nuclear safety:
unsafe disposal of radioactive waste
inadequate supervision and control of the transport of radioactive waste or spent fuel elements
Infringements in the area of food and feed safety, animal health and animal welfare →
Covers violations of standards for (animal) products intended for human consumption and regulations designed to ensure the welfare of animals in general.
Examples of non-compliances in the area of food and feed safety, animal health and animal welfare
:
non-compliance with hygiene rules
contamination of feed
failure to keep animals in a manner appropriate to their species
lack of protection during transport of animals, e.g. due to too long distances or a too high number of transported animals
Violations of measures to protect public health →
Covers violations of quality and safety standards for medicinal products and medical devices, for the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products.
Examples of violations of measures to protect public health:
sale of unauthorised products under this category
non-compliance with legal limits
Violations of consumer protection regulations →
Typical consumer rights are the right of withdrawal and the right to information. Business practices and behaviour that disadvantage consumers are covered.
Examples of breaches of consumer protection rules:
Failure to comply with information obligations
Unannounced advertising calls (so-called "cold calling")
Disadvantageous clauses in general terms and conditions
Property offences to the detriment of the company →
This includes all acts that have a negative financial impact on the company.
Examples of property offences to the detriment of the company:
theft or misappropriation of company property.
withholding company funds or work materials
personal enrichment
Conflicts of interest in the professional environment →
In a conflict of interest, a person/company is entangled in multiple interests that may manipulate that person's/company's motivation or decision-making. It is irrelevant whether the company suffers an advantage or possibly even a disadvantage as a result of the conflict of interest.
Examples of conflicts of interest in the professional environment:
friends and acquaintances who are given preferential treatment in a job advertisement.
other activities that conflict with an employee's actual profession
"Pandering", i.e. awarding contracts not on the basis of objective criteria but on the basis of personal closeness between client and contractor
taking advantage through the use of internal information, e.g. insider trading
Violations of the Principles of Conduct in the workplace and of Human Rights →
The purpose of the Principles of Conduct in the workplace is to protect the company, and in particular its employees, from unethical behaviour.
Human rights include civil and political liberties and participation rights, including the right to life, the prohibition of torture, freedom of religion, assembly and expression, or equality before the law.
Examples of violations of principles of conduct in the workplace:
unequal treatment and discrimination (especially violations of the General Equal Treatment Act).
harassment
disrespectful treatment
violations of working hours
Examples of Human Rights' violations:
child labour
wages below subsistence level
dismissal of trade union members
health hazards due to lack of occupational safety