Compliance program

Central components of the “Inform” pillar of our compliance program are the antitrust law and corruption prevention training programs carried out by the compliance officers. In the programs, employees are informed about compliance requirements, risks, and possible sanctions. The requirements are based on law and our Groupwide policies. They also serve the implementation of international standards. They cover for example rules for dealing with competitors and business partners and responding to invitations and gifts, as well as the prohibition of facilitation payments.

In the fiscal year 2018/2019, more than 4,800 employees worldwide attended classroom courses, mainly on antitrust law and corruption prevention. In addition we continued the fourth cycle of the e-learning program on corruption prevention and antitrust law launched in November 2015. A total of more than 133,000 courses, net of disposals, including our e-learnings on compliance in purchasing and on data protection were completed by the end of the fiscal year.

In connection with our compliance advice activities, we support important business transactions, for instance in connection with major projects and M&A projects or the engagement of intermediaries. For this the employees can contact their Compliance Officers in the business areas, regions, and at Corporate or call our central hotline. The Compliance Officers also advise the operating units on integrating compliance into their business processes.

The “Identify” pillar of the compliance program focuses on regularly reviewing critical business operations based on a risk-oriented, structured audit process.

In addition, in the 2013/2014 fiscal year we carried out a targeted group-wide risk assessment. Based on a detailed questionnaire the Compliance team analysed objective risks, mainly in the areas of antitrust law and corruption prevention, and the degree of implementation of the compliance program at the Group companies. In a second step, workshops were held at over 100 Group companies, in which measures were developed to address and reduce the risks identified.

An additional element in the identification of compliance risks is our whistleblowing system. Alongside the options of directly contacting a supervisor or the compliance department, this provides employees with a further channel for reporting possible infringements of laws or policies without revealing their identity.

The third pillar, “Report & Act”, encompasses intensive compliance reporting in all three dimensions of our organizational matrix. In the event of proven antitrust law infringements or corruption, our “zero tolerance” policy applies: Sanctions are systematically imposed on the employees concerned.