Whistleblowing - a protection for individuals who report irregularities

16 May 2022

In December of last year, the new Whistleblowing Act entered into force. The act protects people who report irregularities and wrongdoing in the workplace. Umeå University is now introducing an internal reporting channel where you as an employee can submit a report if you suspect or have information about misconduct within the organisation.

In brief, the act provides provisions that you cannot be obstructed or punished for whistleblowing, and that you can sometimes circumvent your duty of confidentiality and that more people than before are protected by the Whistleblowing Act.

As a member of staff, you have the right to expose information or bring allegations of suspected irregularities to light. This is important for the individual, for the organisation to be made aware of and be able to rectify problems, and to uphold a democratic society.

How to report irregularities

Umeå University has an obligation to establish an internal reporting channel no later than 17 July this year. It will be an electronic form where you can submit both a written and an oral report in a secure and confidential matter. Until that channel is in place, you can report misconduct in writing, orally or at a physical meeting.

The web page If something happens has been updated with information about the new act. You can read more about what constitutes wrongdoing, how to report it, what the report should contain and what protection you have as a whistleblower.
If something happens – whistleblower functionality

If you have any questions about the Whistleblowing Act, you can send an email to: universitetsjurist@umu.se. Please note that due to confidentiality reasons you cannot submit a whistleblower report to this email address, you can only receive general information about whistleblowing.