Ombudspersons or impartial third parties are an indispensable part of the compliance management systems of many companies today. Some companies and authorities offer anonymous whistleblower portals via the Internet or the company’s own intranet. In contrast to many anonymous reporting systems, an ombudsperson can communicate with the whistleblower personally and outside the company. This advantage of this is that the whistleblower is not limited to only unilaterally reporting information on specific facts. Rather, they can enter into a dialogue with a legal expert, receive answers to their own questions or recommendations for action and thus reduce legal uncertainties and individual fears. Together with the ombudsperson and with full protection, the basis for responsible reporting can be created. This channel is advantageous for the company because the ombudsperson and the whistleblower can often clarify the facts of the case better or the allegation can be substantiated and verified.
Christian Heuking is an ombudsman at various private and public law companies and Dr Sibylle von Coelln serves as an ombudswoman at private law companies.
We can be contacted – depending on the specifications of the mandating company – on special telephone numbers and email addresses, so that the required accessibility is guaranteed. A short response time following a message is just as natural for us as is the protection of the whistleblower’s data. Upon request, this remains anonymous to the company and to third parties to the extent that we can guarantee this in accordance with the current legal situation and jurisdiction. If the client so wishes, we will legally evaluate the information reported by whistleblowers, expertly prepare it for further use in the company and transmit it to the latter – keeping the whistleblower anonymous where applicable.
By contacting us, the reporter agrees to the data protection conditions shown here.
In order for potential whistleblowers to know how their reports are handled between the ombudsperson on the one hand and the company on the other, at the company’s request we will display the agreement’s essential contents on our homepage. They can be accessed by clicking on the respective company’s name.
We have been appointed as ombudsperson or Central Reporting Point for the following companies et al.:
Agentur für Haushaltshilfe GmbH (AfH)
aik Immobilien-Investmentgesellschaft mbH
Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund
Siemens Healthineers Aktiengesellschaft
Stadtwerke Lindau (B) GmbH & Co. KG