Reporting irregularities / “Whistleblowing”
General preconditions
Örebro University firmly believes that any irregularities within our operations must be brought into the light and rectified. We therefore offer different ways of drawing attention to irregularities and wrongdoing, for example via the head of school if anything would happen during a joint project or via the head of department where consultants are hired for certain services. If none of the available routes feel like an option, the online reporting channel we offer may be a more suitable way in. The reporting channel comes under the rules that apply to the university under the act on protection for persons reporting irregularities (2021:890). The act can be read in full, in Swedish, here: https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/lag-2021890-om-skydd-for-personer-som_sfs-2021-890
The reporting channel can be used to inform the university of irregularities and wrongdoing that are in the public interest and that occur or most likely will occur within our operations. If you
- have been an employee of Örebro University,
- have had an employment-like status at the university, such as a consultant,
- have taken part in a joint research project, where the university has decided on your contributions/involvement, or
- have applied for employment or internship and in that relationship, irregularities within the operations that are in the public interest have in one way or another come to your attention,
it is possible for you to report such irregularities. This is also known as ‘whistleblowing’. The university is then obliged to act on the information given to them and in various ways work to ensure that the irregularities cease.
The reporting channel is to be used for suspicions of irregularities that are in the public interest. In short, these may involve violations of various regulations, external as well as internal. Research misconduct, conflicts of interest, bribes or other situations when somebody makes private gain from their position or office or when somebody’s family members benefit inappropriately are also included. More severe misuse of office and gross deviations from internal or external rules and regulations can be reported, for example, extensive unauthorised use of personal data. The whistleblowing function is, however, not intended for general complaints concerning leadership, salaries, recruitment, operational planning and so on.
The person making a claim
The person wishing to report something is referred to as “the person making a claim”, or in more everyday language “the whistleblower”. If you are making a claim, you have the right of freedom from liability for the report and your personal data are covered by confidentiality. A precondition is, however, that you have reasonable cause to believe that your claim is true – in other words, it cannot be just a rumour. The content of the whistleblower report is, however, not covered by the same secrecy provisions. Read more under the tab “Public access to information and secrecy” below.
Limitations
The protection provided by the act on protection for persons reporting irregularities (2021:890) is in certain aspects limited. These limitations mean that in some cases, freedom from liability no longer applies. When you make a claim, you may not
- disclose classified national security information, such as information about collaborations with the defence industry,
- break duties of confidentiality where the right to communicate and publish information is restricted by law, for example disclosing details of somebody’s personal situation if you are working with study guidance,
- break duties of confidentiality as laid out in the Defence Inventions Act (1971:1078), or
- commit criminal offences in order to obtain information which you then proceed to report.
Your right to report irregularities and wrongdoing that are in the public interest does not give you the right to disclose documents. In your claim, refer instead to information or documents that may be available to the authority or that the authority in other ways is able to corroborate.
Ways in
To make a claim, you can:
- Submit it electronically, using the form below
- Send a letter to
Internal [CH1] reporting channel/“Whistleblowing”
Örebro University
SE-701 82 Örebro
Mail marked as above will be left unopened for the eyes of the persons appointed recipients of whistleblower reports only. - Phone the university switchboard, +46 19 30 30 00, and ask to be connected to a recipient of reports on irregularities that are in the public interest/whistleblowing.
- Make an appointment to meet in person. Phone up, according to the instructions above, and ask for a meeting in person. You can then agree on a suitable time and place.
By clicking the button below, you confirm that you have read and understood the information above about Örebro University’s reporting channel.