We protect what is important!

Why should I submit a report?

We all bear responsibility for our conduct, and each of us – no matter our position – can contribute to building a positive environment at our company.

If you are aware of a situation that is problematic or involves a violation of law or of a company policy, or if you have knowledge of misconduct that could result in detriment to the company, your duty to take action is clear.

Let’s work together to protect our company. We must identify issues early to take appropriate action and ultimately avoid problems. This ensures the continued success of the company and the jobs that it supports.

What should be reported with the “Speak up” system?

If you experience or observe any actions by employees or other persons working with Aroundtown that violate a law or company policy, you can report this using the “Speak up” system.

In particular, the following cases should be reported immediately:

• Crimes: especially, but not limited to, crimes in the areas of corruption, competition law, fraud and breach of trust
• Preparation or attempt to commit a crime
• Violations in the areas of environmental protection and work safety – especially violations of the General Equal Treatment Act, (sexual) harassment and bullying

Misconduct that occurs exclusively within the private sphere and with no relation to Aroundtown or its business activities should not be reported via the system.

For general employment law topics, you may continue to consult your manager or the responsible human resources department.

You will receive more detailed information on possible categories of a report during the actual reporting process.

What is the process for submitting a report? How do I set up a postbox?

To submit a new report (anonymously or by name), start by clicking the “Submit report” button located at the top of our introductory page.

If you have already set up a secured postbox, you can access it directly via the “Login” button.

There are four steps to submitting a report:

1. Please carefully read the information about the protection of your anonymity, then answer the security query.
2. On the following page, you will be asked about the category of your report.
3. Please describe the situation in your own words with as much detail as possible. You can enter up to 5,000 characters into the free text field, which corresponds to approx. one DIN A4 page. You can also attach files to your report (up to 5 MB).
4. At the end of the submission process you have the opportunity to set up a postbox (by choosing your own username and password). You will receive a reference number as proof of receipt.

During all communication, we can only contact you via this postbox. We therefore ask that you check the postbox independently from time to time.

Please take care to protect your own anonymity – if desired – and refrain from sharing any information that could reveal your identity.

If you lose your access credentials, please submit a new report, and include the original reference number with this report, if possible.

Will submitting a report have consequences for me?

No. Anyone who submits a report in good faith that is truthful and free of false accusations has no need to fear any negative consequences.

This protection applies even if the content of a report proves to be unfounded or not applicable.

Our goal is to protect our company from harm. In other words, we are interested in the report and not in you as a whistleblower.

Neither the service provider who operates the BKMS^® system used here nor any other third parties outside of the established reporting office have access to the “Speak up” system. The confidentiality of your report is ensured by encryption and other special security routines that have been repeatedly certified.