Why should I submit a report?

The University of Lucerne wants to create a research, teaching, learning and working community which is based on respectful interaction, appropriate participation, transparent communication, attractive working conditions and mutual trust. In order to achieve this, it is essential that we become aware of possible malpractices at an early stage. Your report enables the University Executive Board to fulfil its responsibility and create optimal conditions for successful studies and for teaching and research at the highest level.

What kind of reports can be sent to the report processing office?

University members and third parties are entitled to report suspected or actual malpractice by university members or other instances of maladministration either to the Reporting Office or directly to the responsible office or person. In particular, suspected or actual violations of laws, ordinances, regulations and directives of the University of Lucerne as well as violations of cantonal and federal decrees should be reported.

If university employees make allegations of malpractice directly to the public or to the media, this may constitute a breach of the duty of loyalty under employment law.

You will receive more detailed information on the possible categories of a report during the reporting process.

What is the process for submitting a report? How do I set up a postbox?

If you wish to submit a report (either by name or anonymously), click the “Submit report” button at the top of our introduction page.

The reporting process consists of 4 steps:

1. First, you will be asked to read some information on the protection of your anonymity and to respond to a security query.
2. On the following page, you will be asked about the category of your report.
3. On the report page, you can elaborate on your report in your own words and answer questions about the case by simply selecting responses. You can enter up to 5,000 characters into the free text field, which corresponds to a full page. You may also submit a file of up to 5 MB to support your report. Please bear in mind that documents can contain information about the author. Following the submission of your report, you will receive a reference number to confirm that you have sent this report.
4. Please subsequently set up your own secured postbox. You will receive feedback from us via this postbox, including answers to questions and information about the progress of your report.

If you already have a secured postbox, you can access it directly via the “Login” button. Here, too, you will first have to answer a security query.

As long as you do not enter any data from which conclusions about your identity can be drawn, the technology of the BKMS^® System will protect your anonymity.

Please rest assured that we are interested only in the case you are reporting. Malpractices must be revealed and financial losses prevented.

How do I receive feedback and remain anonymous at the same time?

The overriding principle of the BKMS^® procedure in use is the protection of the whistleblower. The system’s anonymity protection function is certified by an independent body.

When you set up your secured postbox, you choose your pseudonym/user name and password yourself. Your report is kept anonymous through encryption and other specialised security measures. You will never be asked for personal information at any time during the reporting process. Do not submit any information that can be traced back to you. Please do not use a computer provided by your employer to submit your report.

Via the secured postbox, the Reporting Office for malpractice will provide you with feedback about the further processing of your report or ask you questions if some details are still unclear – you remain anonymous throughout the dialogue too. We are interested in reports to avoid damage, not in you as a whistleblower.

Please note that if you do not set up a postbox, further processing of your report may not be possible due to a possible lack of information. This applies in particular if your report is not precise enough to be able to conclusively determine malpractice.

What happens with my report?

Your report will be personally received by the head of the reporting office. He or she shall provide acknowledgment of receipt of the report to the whistleblower within five working days provided that the whistleblower has not chosen to remain anonymous or they have set up a postbox. If necessary, further enquiries will be made if the reported facts were not described precisely enough.

The head of the reporting office will then forward the report to the responsible authority or person. If there are clear indications that the responsible authority or person has a conflict of interest, the report will be forwarded directly to the President of the University Council. The head of the reporting office will then inform the whistleblower about the further course of action, in particular to whom the report has been forwarded.

The authority or person responsible for the investigation shall be determined by the procedure applicable to the specific violation; the Administrative Judiciary Procedure Act of the Canton of Lucerne is applicable on a subsidiary basis.

The whistleblower has a right to information on the status of the proceedings and any measures taken if they have a personal and legally protected interest in this. The provision of this information requires that the whistleblower waives anonymity or has set up a secured postbox.