The purpose, scope and applicability of the Code of Conduct

The ABB Code of Conduct is the foundation of our values and commitments. It sets the standards for how we do business, treat colleagues and our external stakeholders, engage in the communities we operate in, and ensure a sustainable environment. Our Code provides guidance on these standards and expected behaviours of our employees, customers, suppliers, business partners and everyone we work with.

Yes. The Code of Conduct covers our expectations for every category of business ethics and integrity, including gifts, travel and hospitality,  donations and sponsorships such as political donations, fair competition, working with governments, working safely and sustainably, information sharing and data handling procedure, and more. It sets the broad principles and minimum standards that guide our behaviour. More detailed rules and guidance may apply for specific topics or in individual countries. All employees are expected to familiarize themselves with the Code and comply with it.

All ABB employees are expected to read, understand, acknowledge and live by our Code. Failure to comply with the Code may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

 

We also expect anyone working with ABB such as consultants, contractors and temporary workers, to follow the Code in connection with their work for ABB. Failure to do so may lead to termination of the business relationship. ABB has a Supplier Code of Conduct (SCoC), based on the same values, which is a fundamental part of our supplier qualification, development and evaluation requirements. All ABB suppliers are expected to understand and comply with the SCoC. 

Raising a concern about potential violations of the Code of Conduct

Anyone can raise a concern about any suspected violation of the law or the ABB Code of Conduct. This includes our employees, contractors, suppliers, customers and other stakeholders. We strongly encourage a prompt reporting of such concerns so ABB can investigate and take corrective action early, before issues escalate or cause harm to ABB or others.

Any suspected violations of the law or our Code (also known as integrity concerns) should be reported, including:

• Ethics and compliance issues, including fraud, misconduct, corruption, financial issues, conflicts of interest, violations of insider trading or antitrust regulations, theft, or embezzlement
• Employee relations and human resource issues, such as harassment, discrimination and other improper workplace conduct
• Loss prevention and asset protection
• Workplace violence and alcohol or drug abuse
• Health, safety, environment and security issues, such as occupational health & safety violations

You can report integrity concerns through several channels, including:

• ABB Business Ethics Helpline
• ABB manager 
• ABB Human Resources team member
• ABB Legal & Integrity team member
• An individual designated by an ABB local whistleblowing policy

You are not obliged to use the ABB Business Ethics Helpline. You may also report misconduct directly to the competent national government authorities, if you prefer.

ABB treats each concern raised seriously and handles allegations with appropriate confidentiality. During the investigation, an ABB investigator may need to ask questions of the people who may have knowledge of the matter. ABB may be required to disclose certain information regarding the concern or the investigation to third parties, for example, if it receives a compulsory government or court-issued request or if it makes a voluntary disclosure to law enforcement authorities regarding the commencement of an investigation. In such cases, ABB will abide by its Binding Corporate Rules and GDPR legislation to protect your privacy.

Yes, you can raise a concern anonymously through the ABB Business Ethics Helpline. You can also write to our Chief Integrity Officer at ABB Ltd, Affolternstrasse 44, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland.

ABB does not tolerate retaliation against anyone who raises a concern in good faith or cooperates in an investigation. Any act of retaliation before, during or after an investigation, constitutes a breach of our Code and may lead to disciplinary or other measures, as with the Code. Please report suspected retaliation through the same reporting channels identified above.

Please share as much detail and relevant facts available to you, on the matter. For example:

• what happened, when and where, and how it happened
• who was involved
• which organizations were involved (including external parties, if applicable)
• clarify whether you were provided any explanation about what happened.

We strongly encourage submitting or identifying any documents or supporting material relevant to your concern. For example, emails, reports, SMS messages or other material.
Reports with insufficient detail can be difficult to investigate properly.

You do not need to have complete information or personal knowledge of all the facts relating to a potential violation, to raise a concern. You should have a reasonable basis for believing, in good-faith, that a violation may have occurred.

 

A good-faith belief is based on your honest perception of events and facts, not on any other motivations such as spite, retribution, payback, discrimination, or other improper motivations or impulses. If you are unsure whether you have grounds to report a concern, please contact your ABB manager, HR or local Legal & Integrity team member to discuss the matter further.

The number of concerns raised varies each year. ABB generally receives and investigates hundreds of concerns annually. Our aim is to foster a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up and raising any concerns so that potential violations of the law or our Code can be addressed early, and decisive action taken to remediate. 

The investigation process

All submitted concerns are often handled by ABB’s dedicated global investigations team, the Integrity Investigations & Monitoring team (reporting to the Chief Integrity Officer at ABB headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland). They can be further assigned to the appropriate business area or specialist team for handling. In some cases, investigators may involve an external law firm or third-party to provide forensic or due diligence support.

 

In EU countries, where required by local law, reporters may also request for their reported concern to be submitted to a local representative for their chosen ABB partner company.

As required by our Code, please cooperate fully with the investigator by making yourself available for a discussion or interview and providing any relevant information or documents.

 

The investigator will arrange a suitable interview time to discuss any questions regarding the concern that has been reported, although they are not obliged to give you any information about the concern to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the investigation. You should answer questions to the best of your ability and recollection and provide truthful and complete information.

 

Investigations are confidential. Do not discuss your invitation for interview or the questions asked with anyone including your line manager. You can discuss the facts of what happened as you would normally do, but not what was discussed in the interview. If someone approaches you about the interview, inform the investigator.

 

Do not delete any documents or records including emails, collaborative workspaces, text messages, photos or other evidentiary materials while an investigation is ongoing.

 

After the interview, you may not hear back from the investigator unless they have further questions. You will not normally be informed of the outcome of an investigation unless you reported the concern.

The assigned investigator is responsible for collecting all relevant facts and to work with the appropriate business and function to determine whether corrective actions are necessary to prevent a recurrence of the incident.

 

Depending on the investigation findings, the investigator may also recommend disciplinary actions and remediation measures. In which case, an internal disciplinary committee could be convened to decide on the appropriate disciplinary actions and remediation measures.

If you have questions not covered here or in the ABB Code of Conduct, please contact your local legal counsel, a member of the Legal & Integrity team, or any of ABB’s Reporting Channels.