Office - Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG)

Whistleblowing System for Reporting Violations

On July 2, 2023, the Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG) came into effect.
Whistleblowers make an important contribution to uncovering grievances within an organization. The new law is intended to protect whistleblowers from reprisals or disadvantages. Whistleblowers have the option to report their concerns to either an "internal" or an "external" reporting channel.
FIAS advocates a culture of vigilance and addressing misconduct and wrongdoing.

Reporting a Concern – How?

  • By email: via compliance_at_fias.uni-frankfurt.de
  • Orally: through the Compliance Officer, Ms. Doris Hardt (~47613)
  • Anonymously: In the FIAS mailroom, there is a mailbox labeled "COMPLIANCE." It is emptied weekly, and unopened submissions are forwarded to the Compliance Office.

    Reporting a Concern – What to Keep in Mind?

    • Reports must pertain to violations related to professional activity or its preliminary stages.
    • The violation must involve FIAS or another entity you interact or have interacted with due to your professional activity.
    • Reports should be as specific and factual as possible:
      • When did the violation occur?
      • When did you become aware of it?
      • Who was involved (person/group)?
      • How often did the violation occur, or how long has it been ongoing?
      • Where did the violation take place?
      • Were other authorities informed?
    • Upon receiving a report, the matter will be examined. If there are concrete indications of a violation, appropriate procedures will be initiated.
    • Deliberately false or grossly negligent misinformation is not protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act and may result in criminal charges or fines.

    Confidentiality

    • Reports are treated confidentially by the assigned Compliance Manager.
    • The Compliance Officer also handles your inquiries or forwards them to the Compliance Manager confidentially.
    • Your report will be forwarded to an assigned Compliance Manager who is not a member of the management, administration, or staff of FIAS.
    • To clarify the matter, consultations with other departments—including those at FIAS—or additional experts may be necessary. Every effort will be made to ensure the highest level of protection for whistleblowers or affected individuals.

    Please note: If reports are submitted anonymously, no follow-up questions can be asked, and no feedback on actions taken can be provided during the investigation process.

    External reporting office and further information

    If the whistleblower prefers to report to an external reporting channel, the Federal Office of Justice’s whistleblower office is available: https://www.bundesjustizamt.de/DE/MeldestelledesBundes/MeldestelledesBundes_node.html

    Further information on the Whistleblower Protection Act can be found here: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hinschg/index.htm