K2’s commitment to the whistleblowing function and protection is pivotal in fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct within our organization. Us, our employees, and partners, play a crucial role in upholding organizational integrity by speaking up about wrongdoing without fear of adverse consequences. Conversely, we must ensure that whistleblowers are supported and safeguarded against any form of reprisal. By prioritizing whistleblowing standards and protection, we do not only demonstrate our dedication to upholding ethical principles but also create a safer and more accountable environment where wrongdoing can be addressed promptly and effectively, ultimately fostering trust and integrity within the organization.
To do so, we have set up a Global Complaints Channel. The Whistleblower Channel is an instrument made available by K2 Partnering Global to receive and process reports of events that violate current legislation or regulations. The Channel is monitored by our partner company and internal supervisory body. All reports and complaints made through the Channel are guaranteed forwarded anonymously according to our internal Whistleblowing Policy and Complaints Policy.
Who can report?
The services of our partner company are available to employees, former any external business partners or third-party members associated with your organization.
How can you report?
You can submit a report anonymously via the Portal of our partner company or by ringing your International Toll-free number (ITFN).
All information and instructions on the exact process for submitting the report, as well as International Toll-free numbers (page 6) can be found in the Awareness Guide.
Anonymity of Reports
When you raise a report, our partner companywill only share your personal information with the supervisory body to investigate your report where you have provided consent to do so. When calling our partner company to raise your report or if you choose to raise an online report you will be provided with a Personal Identification Code. As a result, we have no means of identifying you unless you volunteer your contact details. The Personal Identification Code, which is unique to your report, can be quoted by you should you wish to phone the partner company again in the future to check for any feedback that K2 Partnering Solutions has provided or should you wish to provide additional information pertaining to your original report.
Treatment of Reports
All reports made through the official K2 Partnering Whistleblower Channel are, as a rule, anonymously forwarded by our partner company to the Global Compliance Department of K2 (“global committee”). This global committee is responsible for (i) receive, register and if needed to report to the local Compliance and HR (“local committee”) for analysis and investigation in the country where the report was made, or (ii) forward the report to the local committee for analysis and investigation in the country where the report was made, such investigation to be conducted jointly with the global committee, or (iii) act independently and not involve the local committee. Follow-up and feedback to the report should take place within a reasonable timeframe, given the need to promptly address the issue that is the subject of the report. If you have provided consent to share your contact information with us, then we may contact you directly to provide you with feedback on your report. If you have elected to remain fully anonymous you are encouraged to contact our partner companyvia the reporting channels available to you to seek feedback quoting your Personal Identification Code.
Principles and Guidelines
All reports and investigations must be conducted based on the following principles and guidelines:
Integrity: Investigations must preserve the honor, dignity and image of the reporting person and other people involved.
Confidentiality: All involved parties must adopt reasonable measures to guarantee the confidentiality of the procedure and the facts, as well as the protection of the identity and of the personal data of the reporter and others involved.
Impartiality: All parties involved must be impartial.
We are committed to protecting our workforce both internally and externally and believe that the whistleblowing function is vital in maintaining the highest standards of ethics throughout the organization by combating any kind of fraud and misconduct. If you do have any further questions about K2’s Commitment to Whistleblowing please do not hesitate to contact us under legalcompliance@k2partnering.com.
