Customers, business partners and the public have great trust in Sika. In order to ensure that this continues to be the case, Sika has adopted a Code of Conduct – of which this specialised reporting facility “Sika Trust Line” forms an integral part. We have taken this step because unlawful and unethical behaviour will not be tolerated. You can also play a part in this process by not looking the other way when you notice that something is amiss. Address violations of the Sika's Code of Conduct or its principles, or any observations in this regard, openly with your Supervisor, HR Manager or the other designated contact person available to you.
With SikaTrust Line, we furthermore offer you the opportunity to use an alternative channel for reporting genuine serious concerns which would not be adequately dealt with by other existing reporting channels such as line management. This formal web-based reporting system is the Sika Trust Line. The categories of misconduct that may be reported via the Sika Trust Line are specified under your country list, as limitations may vary from country to country.
Click on ""File a report"" and follow the instructions. The process is simple.
Sika encourages to reveal your identity while reporting as you potentially facilitate an investigation and a proper follow-up.
If you report in good-faith concerns about a legal or ethical violation and identify yourself, your personal details will be treated confidentially. This means your identity may be disclosed only to those people at Sika who need the information to investigate and resolve your allegation, or where the law or another policy requires disclosure (for example in a court proceeding or a criminal investigation).
It depends on your location and the location of the alleged misconduct. In some countries, anonymous reports are not permitted by law. If anonymous reporting is not permitted in your country, the system will not allow or accept anonymous reports. Sika does not encourage anonymous reporting of a concern. This is however allowed provided that it will be only investigated if it is precise and accurate. Sika will not investigate anonymous reporting appearing prima facie irrelevant or groundless as well as those having a clear defamatory purpose.
When using the secure Sika Trust Line platform, no IP address data, time stamps or metadata are logged or recorded by EQS Group. All data is encrypted and stored on the EQS Group servers based in Switzerland. Thus, no information linking your computer to EQS Group is available. Once you have clicked on "File a report", you will remain anonymous unless you choose to disclose your name at a later stage.
Your report will be promptly processed by the Compliance function together with appropriate person/team of experts and addressed seriously. They will decide how to proceed and will get in touch with you if they need to ask further questions or obtain additional information. Within seven working days you will get a preliminary reply message. Alleged violation will be carefully investigated according to Sika’s internal standards and procedures to ensure consistency throughout the organization. You may be notified when the investigation of the reported incident is completed. Please take into account that an investigation may take several months, especially in complex cases. Furthermore, for privacy reasons, it may not be possible to inform you about the Details or the outcome of the investigation.
If you access the Integrity Platform by using your work computer, Sika IT can see that you have accessed the Sika Trust Line. They can however not see what you have been doing. So they don't know if you have only been reading the FAQs or if you have actually filed a report. Still, if you want to prevent this, go to an Internet Café or use your personal computer at home.
While in principle every incident violating applicable business laws and/or values stated in the Code of Conduct should be reported to your line manager, HR Manager or other specialist, Sika Trust Line allows to report only cases falling into specific categories of misconducts which may vary depending on the country of the reporting employee. The system will automatically inform you about the list of categories that can be reported at your location once you have specified your country.
The Mailbox / Check new messages allows you to maintain your anonymity while being in direct contact with Sika’s experts who are processing your report. You can access the Mailbox with your individual incident number and your password. You will receive both elements before submitting a report on the platform. Please check your Mailbox frequently, as you may receive an answer from Sika’s report handling team or more information from you may be required to clarify the incident.
No. Sika will not tolerate any sanctions against you as a result of justified reporting. A report is justified if you report in good faith - which means you believe that what you report is true - and if you have reasons to believe that a violation of applicable laws and/or the Code of Conduct has taken place.
The important thing is that at the time the report is submitted, you believe or reasonably assume that the content is accurate and that laws or the Code of Conduct have been violated. You will not be expected to gather evidence or resolve the situation yourself. We will undertake the investigation and it may be possible that the investigation concludes that no infringement has taken place. Again in this case, you do not need to be concerned about negative consequences if you reported in good faith. However, abuses and misuses of Sika Trust Line, like (filing an intentional false or malicious allegation) will be investigated and, if confirmed, may lead to disciplinary measures.
Your supervisor may or may not be informed about your allegation, depending upon the particular circumstances of your report. In most cases, the headof the department where the wrongdoing is alleged to have occurred will be notified (unless involved), as well as others who may have a need to know parts of a report in order to assist in the investigation. This notice typically includes general information about the nature of the allegation. This is necessary in many cases because employees in the department may be interviewed, asked for documents, or otherwise involved in an investigation. In some cases, a supervisor may not be told about an allegation until an initial investigation has taken place, documents or evidence secured, or other actions are taken to ensure the matter is fully investigated and resolved.
This depends to some degree upon the specifics of your allegation. If you are reporting an incident that was observed by several people, or where documents or physical evidence exist (even if you don't have the evidence yourself), Sika's report handling team may be able to fully investigate the matter without revealing you as the reporter. If, for example, no documents or other evidence exist to support an allegation other than your report, Sika's report handling team may be unable to further investigate the matter or to impose disciplinary action unless you come forward. In these cases, Sika's report handling team will work with you to provide you protection to assure that you will not be treated unfairly for having raised a good faith concern in the event your identity is revealed.
You are on the secure Sika Trust Line. The platform is not part of the company website or intranet. Your report cannot be traced back to you if you report anonymously.
