Compliance
Whistleblower system
Our whistleblower system
Complying with relevant statutory regulations and internal rules, and the principles laid down in our Code of Conduct and the Code of Conduct for Business Partners, has top priority at Volkswagen Group. The success of our company is based on Integrity and Compliance. To meet these standards, it is important to learn of potential misconduct and to put a stop to it. Therefore, we entrusted Regional Investigation Office to operate an independent, impartial and confidential Whistleblower System on our behalf.
A key pillar of our Whistleblower System is the principle of procedural fairness. It also lays out the possible and legally-allowed protection for whistleblowers, Persons Implicated and employees contributing to the investigation of reported misconduct.
This also includes offering opportunities for anonymous reporting and communication. We assure not to perform steps in order to identify anonymous whistleblowers, who do not misuse our Whistleblower System. Retaliation of whistleblowers and all persons who contribute to investigations at VGC will not be tolerated. Investigations upon reasonable suspicion will be conducted with the utmost confidentiality. The information will be processed in a fair and protected process. Other applicable principles for Whistleblower System will be also applied during the handling of reporting.
How does the company process reports received?
The qualified and experienced colleagues at the Investigation Office examine the received report for potential misconduct by a Volkswagen Group employee thoroughly and follow it up systematically. First, upon the reported information, you will get a confirmation of receipt. The Investigation Office then assesses your report. This includes gathering facts particularly from the whistleblower. Only if this initial evaluation shows sufficient grounds for reasonable suspicion of a violation an investigation by a dedicated Investigating Unit and/or competent function will be started. Afterwards, the results of the investigation will be assessed by the Investigation Office and appropriate measures will be recommended (if applicable).
When Investigation Office receives (potential) violations of the Code of Conduct for Business Partners - as well as reports including otherwise action, the Investigation Office will inform the responsible departments, who will process the issue accordingly. This particularly includes taking the necessary/applicable measures to minimize or end violations and/or risks.
Find more information on the respective procedural principles can be found here.
What kind of report do you want to submit?
A complaint about services to our customer
For complaints or feedback or complaints about services of diconium or our business partners, please contact contact.china@diconium.com.cn.
Please understand that we will not able to forward your request or take any action for reasons of responsibility.
A report of potential misconduct to our Whistleblower System
The Whistleblower System offers various channels to report potential misconduct by diconium employees, violations of the Code of Conduct for Business Partners or serious risk and violations of human rights and environment in our Supply Chain.
However, this does not affect the statutory right to contact designated authorities as described below.
Regional Investigation Office
The Regional Investigation Office, which is your internal contact partner in Region China, can be acessed as follows:
- E-Mail: io@volkswagen.com.cn
- Hotline: +86 10 6531 4794
- Regional Investigation Office: Building 1, 12, Quisheng Mid Street, Beijing, P.R.China
Central Investigations Office
The Central Investigation Office, which is internal contact partner in Volkswagen ( AG (Germany), can be accessed as follows:
- E-Mail: io@volkswagen.de
- Postal address and in person
Postal address:
Volkswagen AG, Central Investigation Office,Mailbox 1717, Berliner Ring 2
38436 Wolfsburg, Germany - In person:
Please make an appointment in advance by writing an E-mail to io@volkswagen.de.
Ombudsperson
diconium has appointed external lawyers to act as Ombudspersons. They advise on the Whistleblower System or ensure that reports from whistleblowers are forwarded anonymously to the Investigation Office if desired.
If you want to get in contact with the Ombudsperson for the hint concerning Volkswagen AG (Germany), you can find their contact details here:
https://www.ombudsperson-frankfurt.de/en/volkswagen/
Online Reporting Channel
You have the option of using a web-based communication platform SpeakUP to contact the Investigation Office in more than 65 languages. This system is confidential and technically secured and allows you to submit reports anonymously.
You can acess the online reporting channel through the following link: https://goto.speakup.report/volkswagen
You can find detailed instructions on how to make reports online, by app or by phone here.
Voice Intake by phone
You can leave us a voice message by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
After entering the phone number (specific to the country you are in), you will be prompted to enter the organization code. Then, you can submit your report as a voice recording. Only a written transcript will be received by the Investigation Office. Dial back in to listen to the reply or further questions by our team.
Select a phone number from this list for your country or region and have the corresponding organizational code 122203 ready.
Speak Up App
You can also download the Speak Up App “SpeakUp - Listen for a change “ by People Intouch (personal devices only) to access the secure reporting system. Through this app, you can submit your report in writing or leave a voice message (also anonymously). You will need the organization code 122203. Log back in to see our team's reply or answer further questions. To download the app, you can also scan the QR code:
*Please note: Chinese laws and regulations limit or prohibit cross-border transfer from mainland China of certain “Sensitive Information”, including “Important Data”, “Chinese State Secrets” and “Personal Information”. By submitting such information via Group reporting channels managed by Central Investigation Office in Germany (the reporting channels such as io@volkswagen.de, BKMS, Ombudespersons locate overseas), you might risk violating the applicable Chinese laws and regulations and may also bear the risk of being penalized by the competent Chinese authorities.
Do you have further questions or do you need a local contact?
Questions or suggestions for improvement concerning the Whistleblower System can also be addressed to the Investigation Office.
Furthermore, our Compliance & Integrity team diconium GmbH can also be addressed in all matters of the Whistleblower System via compliance@diconium.com.
External reporting channel for Germany
The German government has defined a designated authority, that also accepts reports on misconduct as external reporting channel. The external reporting channel is the Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz):
BfJ - Hinweisgeberstelle (bundesjustizamt.de)
Information on the whistleblowing system in Chinese / 关于举报系统信息的中文版本