Our leadership teams and the ethics, human resources and legal departments are equipped to assist and provide guidance as needed as confidential resources to raise questions, get advice and express concerns. They strive to foster an open and safe environment and embed our Ethos and commitment to ethics in ongoing communications. Each GD facility is equipped with prominent Awareness Centers that reinforce our commitment to our Ethos, outline tools available to employees, and list the Ethics Help Line website and toll-free number. A message from our CEO is included in each Awareness Center to further demonstrate our position. The GD Business Ethics Help Line is a 24-hour helpline, accessible by phone or the web, and available to employees in 13 languages. Questions or concerns can be raised using the Help Line, anonymously or otherwise. All reported concerns are investigated promptly and in confidence. If we find that our standards have been violated, we take action, including involuntary termination and disciplinary action; implementing systemwide changes; and notifying governmental offices or agencies, customers and/or suppliers. We strictly prohibit retaliation against anyone who raises an ethics or compliance issue in good faith. In 2020, 83% of fraud, waste and abuse concerns submitted were made by individuals willing to leave their name (named reporting) versus anonymous reporting. A high volume of named reporting indicates that employees trust the integrity and effectiveness of our program. And they do. Employees use every resource available to them to inform the appropriate individuals of their concerns. Our expectations to operate with integrity go beyond our employees; suppliers, vendors, contractors and joint-venture partners are expected to develop effective ethics and compliance programs as well. Global Network of Ethics Officers Each of our businesses has one senior ethics officer who has direct access to and meets with the leadership team regularly to discuss trends, opportunities and communication strategies. These senior ethics officers also meet regularly as a group to discuss best practices that can be shared across our portfolio. In addition, they work with other ethics officers in the defense industry through the Defense Industry Initiative to share best practices, continuously improving their programs to protect General Dynamics’ brand and reputation. Our Culture 23 Referral 60% 15% 12% Email Help Line Walk-In Phone Call 8% 5% Employee Ethics Help Line Engagement
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