Adient Integrity Helpline FAQ's

  1. What is the Integrity Helpline?
  2. May I report using either the Internet or the telephone?
  3. Why do we need an Integrity Helpline?
  4. Does management really want me to contact the Integrity Helpline?
  5. Why should I report what I know? What’s in it for me?
  6. What type of situations should I report?
  7. If I see a violation, shouldn't I just report it to my manager, security, or human resources and let them deal with it?
  8. Is the Integrity Helpline anonymous?
  9. Can a reporter choose to be identified, if so desired?
  10. I thought there were data privacy concerns in my country?
  11. It is my understanding that any report I send from a company computer generates a server log that shows every website that my PC connects with, and won’t this log identify me as a report originator?
  12. What kind of information do I need to provide?
  13. I am concerned that the information I provide the Integrity Helpline will ultimately reveal my identity. How can you assure me that will not happen?
  14. Isn’t this system just an example of someone watching over me?
  15. I am aware of some individuals involved with unethical conduct, but it doesn't affect me. Why should I bother reporting it?
  16. I am not sure what I have observed or heard is a violation of company policy or involves unethical conduct, but it just does not look right to me. What should I do?
  17. Where do these reports go? Who can access them?
  18. What if my boss or other managers are involved in a violation? Won’t they get the report and start a cover-up?
  19. What if I remember something important about the incident after I filed the report? Or what if the company has further questions for me concerning my report?
  20. Are these follow-ups on reports as secure as the first one?
  21. Can I still file a report if I don’t have access to the Internet?
  22. Is the telephone toll-free reporting option confidential?
  23. What if this is an emergency?

Q: What is the Integrity Helpline?

Integrity Helpline is a comprehensive and confidential reporting managed by an outside vendor, EthicsPoint, which assists Adient management and employees in working together to identify and address fraud, abuse, and violations of Adient’s Ethics Policy.

Q: May I report using either the Internet or the telephone?

Yes. By giving you choices, the Integrity Helpline helps ensure that employees can file a report in the manner most comfortable or convenient to them.

Q: Why do we need an Integrity Helpline?

Our employees are our most important asset. By creating open channels of communication, we promote a positive work environment and maximize productivity. An effective reporting system can be our most useful tool in reducing losses due to fraud and abuse.

Q: Does management really want me to contact the Integrity Helpline?

Yes. We need you to speak up. You know what is going on in your business - both good and bad. You may have initial knowledge of an activity that causes concern. Your reporting can minimize the potential negative impact on the company and its people. Also, offering positive input may help identify issues that can improve corporate culture and performance.

Q: Why should I report what I know? What’s in it for me?

It is your duty under Adient’s Ethics Policy. We also have the right to work in a positive and safe environment and with that right comes the responsibility of acting with integrity and letting the appropriate people know if someone is not acting appropriately. By working together, we can maintain a safe and productive work environment. Corporate misconduct can threaten the entire company.

Q: What type of situations should I report?

The Integrity Helpline is a communications tool providing an avenue for sharing information about possible Ethics Policy violations.

Q: If I see a violation, shouldn't I just report it to my manager, security, or human resources and let them deal with it?

We encourage you to talk to your supervisor, HR representative or the Legal department with any questions. But if you prefer, you also can file a report with the Integrity Helpline.

Q: Is the Integrity Helpline anonymous?

You can decide either to identify yourself when making a report or to report anonymously.

  • Reports placed with the Integrity Helpline, as managed by outside vendor EthicsPoint, are protected by the latest encryption technology.
  • The Integrity Helpline does not track or capture screen names or computer addresses (no cookies), to further protect the reporter’s identity.
  • Report access requires that both the reporter and report recipients enter unique login information.
  • The Integrity Helpline does not generate or maintain any internal connection logs with IP addresses, so no information linking your computer to the Integrity Helpline is available.

Q: Can a reporter choose to be identified, if so desired?

Yes. When a report is filed, the system will ask if the reporter wishes to be identified or to remain anonymous.

Q: I thought there were data privacy concerns in my country?

As a global organization, Adient must balance business ethics compliance with the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the laws of international jurisdictions, such as those in the European Union. There is often an apparent disconnect between compliance with one and compliance with another, given the complex nature of handling data privacy in countries outside the United States. In an effort to help address the data privacy concerns in France, Germany and certain other European Union countries related to the use of anonymous hotlines, our third party provider, EthicsPoint, incorporates a data privacy solution into the Integrity Helpline that resolves these issues with the technological tools necessary to approach compliance on a global scale. The data privacy solution provides many of the technological tools required to address guidelines established by the European Union Article 29 Working Group, the French data protection agency (CNIL) and the German Düsseldorfer Kreis, among others. In France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and certain other countries, you will only be permitted to report accounting and financial fraud on the Integrity Helpline.

Q: It is my understanding that any report I send from a company computer generates a server log that shows every website that my PC connects with, and won’t this log identify me as a report originator?

No. The Integrity Helpline does not generate or maintain any internal connection logs with IP addresses, so no information linking your PC to Integrity Helpline is available.

Q: What kind of information do I need to provide?

When making a report to the Adient Integrity Helpline, reporters are encouraged to disclose their identity. Reports can be made anonymously; however, Adient strongly encourages reporters to provide their contact details or email address so that contact can be maintained throughout the investigation.

Adient will take all reasonable steps to ensure confidentiality throughout the reporting process, so people filing reports should not fear that their identity or issue will be improperly disclosed or abused. Adient will not tolerate retaliation for asking questions or making good faith reports of possible violations of the Ethics Policy.

When making your report, please be aware that the information you provide or the allegations that you make could result in decisions that affect employees of Adient and other third parties involved in the matter. We therefore kindly ask you to provide us only with information that is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

Q: I am concerned that the information I provide the Integrity Helpline will ultimately reveal my identity. How can you assure me that will not happen?

If you choose to remain anonymous, the Integrity Helpline is designed to protect your anonymity. However, you as a reporting party need to ensure that your report does not reveal your identifying information, for example, “From my cube next to Jan Smith…” or “In my 33 years…”

Q: Isn’t this system just an example of someone watching over me?

No. The Integrity Helpline helps us have a safe, secure, and ethical workplace. You are encouraged to seek guidance on integrity issues, provide positive suggestions, and communicate concerns. Effective communication is important in our workplace and this is a great tool to enhance that communication.

In choosing EthicsPoint, Adient has carefully chosen the best reporting tool to meet our compliance obligations while maintaining a positive environment.

Q: I am aware of some individuals involved with unethical conduct, but it doesn't affect me. Why should I bother reporting it?

Our Ethics Policy requires each employee to report any violations. Adient promotes integrity in all our business conduct. All unethical conduct, at any level, ultimately hurts the company and all employees, including you. If you believe there are any incidents of misconduct or ethical violations, it is your duty to report it. We are relying on you.

Q: I am not sure what I have observed or heard is a violation of company policy or involves unethical conduct, but it just does not look right to me. What should I do?

You should raise your concern. Adient expects you to report potential violations of the Ethics Policy. The Integrity Helpline can help you prepare and file your report so it can be properly understood. We'd rather you report a situation that turns out to be harmless than let possible improper behavior go unchecked because you weren't sure.

Q: Where do these reports go? Who can access them?

Reports to the Integrity Helpline are entered directly on the EthicsPoint secure server to prevent any possible breach in security. EthicsPoint, our third party provider, makes these reports available only to specific individuals within the company who are charged with evaluating the type of violation and location of the incident. Each of these report recipients has been trained to keep these reports confidential.

Q: What if my boss or other managers are involved in a violation? Won’t they get the report and start a cover-up?

The EthicsPoint system and report distribution are designed so that implicated parties are not notified or granted access to reports they have been named in. Adient’s investigation administrators have been trained that they are not to assign investigations to anyone identified in a report. Independent investigators will be assigned to the report.

Q: What if I remember something important about the incident after I filed the report? Or what if the company has further questions for me concerning my report?

When you file a report at the Integrity Helpline website or call the Integrity Helpline, you receive a unique user name and are asked to choose a password. You can return to the Helpline again, either by Internet or telephone, access the original report, and answer questions posed by a company representative or add further information that will help resolve open issues. We strongly suggest that you return to the site in three to four (3-4) business days of making your report to answer the investigator’s questions. You and the company now have entered into an “anonymous dialogue” where situations are not only identified but can be resolved, no matter how complex.

Q: Are these follow-ups on reports as secure as the first one?

Yes. All correspondence is held in the same strict confidence as the initial report, continuing under the umbrella of anonymity, if you choose not to be identified.

Q: Can I still file a report if I don’t have access to the Internet?

Yes. You can file a report from any computer that can access the Internet. You can file from home. Many public locations, including the public library, have Internet computers. If you don’t have access or are uncomfortable using a computer, you can call your Integrity Helpline toll-free number for your country which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Q: Is the telephone toll-free reporting option confidential?

Yes. You will be asked to provide the same information that you would provide in an Internet-based report and an interviewer will type your responses into the EthicsPoint system. These reports have the same security and confidentiality measures applied to them during delivery. You can decide either to identify yourself when making a report by telephone or to report anonymously.

Q: What if this is an emergency?

Concerns about an immediate threat of physical harm or damage to property should not be reported to the Integrity Helpline. If you require emergency assistance, please contact your local emergency services.