Siemens 2008 Annual Report Download - page 127

Corporate Governance Report: Compliance Report 31
Our intranet website also has a compliance section where employees can nd current compliance information
and contacts. The Help Desk, launched in 2007, provides supportive functions under the categories “Tell us,”
“Ask us” and, most recently, “Find it.” The “Tell us” function provides compliance-relevant reports worldwide
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and in up to 150 languages. Using the “Ask us” function, employees have received
answers to approximately 4,000 compliance-related questions. And the “Find it” function accesses a compliance
knowledge base that includes all internal compliance guidelines, relevant national laws and regulations, as well
as compliance-related training materials and speeches.
In the third quarter, we conducted an anonymous online employee survey of approximately 90,000 employees
worldwide to assess employee awareness of compliance issues and receive critical feedback. More than 44 per-
cent of the employees responded. The results will provide the basis for further program improvement and also
be included in the assessment of top management’s performance and bonus payouts.
The revision of our Business Conduct Guidelines was completed in the fourth quarter, bringing them up-to-date
with amended laws and regulations and with the requirements of the Siemens Compliance Program. The new
Guidelines will be published in the rst quarter of scal 2009 and backed by an online training course to famil-
iarize employees with their contents.
Increasing external contacts
Maintaining close interaction with compliance experts and institutions outside the Company is an ongoing chal-
lenge. To support this networking, Siemens has joined the collective action workgroup of the World Bank Insti-
tute (WBI). This workgroup helps ensure equality of competition in connection with large tender projects on the
basis of common compliance standards, thus reducing the risk of corruption.
In addition, the Company initiated or strengthened cooperation with numerous international non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) during scal 2008.
Our measures are proving effective
The effectiveness of our compliance measures is underscored by our current ranking in the Dow Jones
Sus tain ability Index. Above all, the Company received an extremely rare maximum rating of 100 percent for
“Risk & Crisis Management,” improved its year-over-year rating from 0 to 93 percent for “Codes of Conduct/
Compliance” – and was ranked No. 1 on the list. After only two years, Siemens is well on its way to living up
to its commitment to be a benchmark in corporate transparency and compliance.