Who can report?
Not only current employees, but anyone who has worked at or for UZ Leuven in the past can report breaches of Union law or national law. This can include employees and self-employed workers, as well as volunteers, trainees, (sub)contractors, or suppliers of UZ Leuven.
In addition, anyone whose working relationship with UZ Leuven has yet to begin may also submit a report. Consider, for example, breaches that come to light during the recruitment process or pre-contractual negotiations.
What can you report?
All information:
- concerning actual or potential breaches;
- that have occurred or are very likely to occur within UZ Leuven;
- and that you have knowledge of in a work-related context.
These are breaches that primarily harm or threaten the public interest.
How can you report?
The law requires that the whistleblower must be able to report in a safe, confidential, and, if desired, anonymous manner.
- UZ Leuven has its own secure and confidential internal reporting channel. Using this tool, UZ Leuven can gain an overview of the number and type of reports, enabling objective reporting. The complete procedure for submitting a report through the internal reporting channel is described in the Policy on reporting breaches of Union law (Whistleblower policy) (pdf).
- As a whistleblower, you can also directly report a breach to the federal ombudsman – whether or not in parallel with your report to the UZ Leuven reporting channel – via the external reporting channel established by the government.
How are you protected as a whistleblower?
The reporting procedure guarantees that, as far as possible, your identity as a whistleblower remains confidential. Only in cases such as criminal offences may UZ Leuven be legally obliged during the investigation to disclose acquired information to the competent government authorities.
Moreover, as a whistleblower, you are protected against dismissal, suspension, threats, intimidation, or reprisals as a result of reporting certain breaches in good faith. Those who actively support the whistleblower during the reporting procedure and the whistleblower’s family members also enjoy this protection. If you submit an anonymous report, you will only benefit from this protection once you have been identified.
The processing of your report is carried out in accordance with the GDPR, which means your data are also protected.