Acting with integrity, reporting confidently

• Anand Mahindra
• Mahindra Group
• Dr Anish Shah
• M&M
• Mahindra Finance and Mahindra Logistics

Over the years, the Mahindra Group has institutionalised the highest benchmarks of corporate working and behaviour and addressed all governance issues transparently and effectively. To ensure an ethical, transparent, safe and secure work environment, the Group has launched a 24/7 Ethics Helpline (000-800-100-4175) while dealing with all stakeholders, such as employees, dealers, distributors, customers, etc. This Speak Up helpline is managed by Convercent, an independent global third-party ethics and compliance service provider to assist Mahindra employees/third party vendors or suppliers to report their concerns in full confidence.

Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, says, “Ethical behaviour is the bedrock of our Core Values and is a part of our DNA. It is the responsibility of each one of us to practice these behaviours and help bring to light breaches of these values. Helping to uncover unethical behaviour is as important as practising ethics in everything we do. The Ethics Helpline platform is a confidential and secure way to do this. I urge you to speak up and use this platform to ensure that the roots of our ethical culture spread wide and deep.”

M&M has a Code of Conduct which all employees are required to adhere to. This Code of Conduct sets out what all Mahindraites need to understand and do, to ensure the highest standards of corporate behaviour. The Group upholds the values enshrined in the Code and strives to ensure that all violations are dealt with in a fair and transparent manner.

Dr Anish Shah, MD & CEO, Mahindra Group, adds, “Mahindra is committed to the highest standards of ethical business conduct. This is enshrined in our Code of Conduct, our Core Values and our governance practices. We provide an ethical environment for our employees, customers, shareholders, vendors and stakeholders alike. We take pride in being known and recognised as one of the best-governed companies in India. This has helped us build a strong values-based culture and is the foundation of our brand and reputation. To strengthen this culture further and foster open communication, we provide a third-party ethics helpline for any stakeholder to raise a complaint pertaining to a violation of our Code of Conduct or our governance policies.”

Mahindra’s Code of Conduct is based on five tenets, which are our core business principles:

1. Maintaining ethical business standards
2. Protection of assets and information
3. Commitment to business associates, suppliers, customers and environment
4. Commitment to stakeholders
5. Behaviour at the workplace

Who can raise a complaint?

• The helpline is available to all employees, ex-employees, suppliers, vendors and stakeholders across the globe who can report incidents related to illegal or unethical activities at workplace without any fear of victimisation or retaliation.
• Currently applies to businesses like M&M, Mahindra Finance and Mahindra Logistics.
• Available in 12 languages – English, Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Punjabi, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Spanish.

Why it matters?

• Helps create an open atmosphere that encourages employees to red flag internal ethics and compliance issues without any fear of retaliation.
• Improves corporate governance.
• Boosts employee morale and productivity.
• Upholds the Ethical standards and Values of the Mahindra Group.

How to raise a complaint?

• Make a call: The reporter can call the helpline number. A Convercent representative takes the call, and the concern is recorded, converted to text and sent to the company.
• Textual description: Lodge a complaint through a textual description on the portal while attaching relevant evidence.
• Write a mail: You can also write an email to the Chairman of the Audit Committee.

What happens to a complaint once it is raised?

• Once the case is reported, specific committees are notified as per the nature of the report.
• The complainant gets notified too.
• The committee forwards the case to trained investigators to avoid frivolous cases.
• If a case is found to be frivolous, the committee closes the case.
• An investigation is done based on the evidence provided.
• The complainant is given a fair hearing after investigation, and the case is closed.
• Depending upon the facts, the sanctioning authority may impose a punishment it deems fit.

For more details, check out: https://ethics.mahindra.com/