External Reporting Office: Frequently Asked Questions

All UZH employees and students can file a report with the External Reporting Office. Third parties, such as contractors and service providers, can also file, as long as the issue has a sufficient link to UZH.

You can file a report with the External Reporting Office via the digital reporting system.
File a report

Prefer not to use the digital reporting system? You can also file with the External Reporting Office via the following channels:

• By email:uzh.externemeldestelle@pikouhl.com
• By phone: +41 43 222 60 10
• By post or in person (by appointment): Pikó Uhl Rechtsanwälte AG, Dr. Rita Pikó / Dr. Laurenz Uhl, UZH External Reporting Office, Hauserstrasse 19, 8032 Zurich

Any observed or suspected irregularities or misconduct with a sufficient link to UZH, including:

• Financial compliance violations (e.g., fraud, embezzlement, corruption, bribery, conflicts of interest in financial decision-making and other financial irregularities)
• Violations of procurement and contracting rules
• Violations of personal integrity (e.g., sexual harassment, discrimination, mobbing, bullying, stalking, abuse of power)
• Breaches of research integrity
• Risks and harm to health, safety and the environment
• Violations of data protection and information security

Anything that does not involve irregularities or misconduct or that is not sufficiently linked to UZH, including:

• (Legal) questions about your employment. Take questions of this kind to Human Resources, the Professorships Department or your supervisor.
• Questions about doctoral supervision or problems in the doctoral qualification process. Take questions of this kind to your faculty’s doctoral program coordinator.
• Questions about problems in the postdoctoral qualification process. Take questions of this kind to the Graduate Campus.
• Questions about study regulations or academic issues in your studies. Take questions of this kind to your faculty’s office of student affairs.
• Personal differences and conflicts at work, in your studies or in a supervisory relationship (unless violations of personal integrity are involved). Wherever possible, disagreements, team conflicts and leadership issues should be resolved with help from the relevant specialist office or the next level of management.
• Questions about contracts with third parties. Take questions of this kind to the person at UZH who is responsible for the contract.
• Questions or complaints about the quality of a UZH service, such as cafeterias, sports facilities or service units. Contact the head of the unit providing the service.
• Do not make statements with no factual basis, such as those based on rumors and speculation, or intentionally file false reports.

Share all the information you have and include the following where possible:

• Who is or was involved, or who is responsible
• What happened
• Where the irregularities or misconduct took (or is taking) place
• When the irregularities or misconduct occurred, or how long it has been going on
• Any evidence you have or witnesses you know

No.

It is enough to truthfully describe what you know. Any documents or records that you have can help the investigation, so please include them with your report.

UZH does not expect you to investigate the matter yourself or go looking for evidence – that is the job of UZH.

Yes.

If you do so, make sure everyone involved stays informed about communications with the External Reporting Office. They should also agree to the report and how it is handled.

Each person can also file their own report. If so, please include a note that other reports on the same issue are being filed in parallel.

Yes.

If so, please state in your report which other internal or external offices you have contacted and include information on the current status or outcome.

Yes.

Your identity and the identities of the people who are the subject of your report are kept confidential. The same goes for the rest of the report, unless its content is already public. This means the report is handled on a need-to-know basis: only those involved in processing it will have access.

UZH may be required to disclose confidential information to a wider circle because of legal requirements, for procedural reasons or when there is imminent danger.

Yes.

Please use the External Reporting Office’s digital reporting system.
File a report

The system protects your identity and lets you communicate with the External Reporting Office anonymously.

Use the External Reporting Office’s digital reporting system to file an anonymous report.
File a report

File your report from a private or public device that is not connected to the UZH network. Do not include any personal details, and avoid descriptions that could reveal your identity to someone familiar with the situation or the organization in question.

No.

The digital reporting system makes it impossible from a technical perspective to trace your identity (for example, it stores no IP addresses, location data or device data). All communication through the system is end-to-end encrypted.

Omit any personal details or anything that could point back to you. Avoid any phrases or abbreviations that you use often.

Yes.

Depending on what you report, an investigation may require that a limited group of people know your identity or the identities of others named in the report. In these cases, an anonymous report can only be investigated to a limited extent or not at all.

If you are unsure whether to reveal your identity, you can talk it over with the External Reporting Office before filing a report.

UZH will protect anyone who makes a report in good faith from retaliation to the fullest possible extent. In particular, UZH will protect them from being disadvantaged or discriminated against in their employment, studies or doctoral work or in their business relationship with the university.

This applies whether or not the investigation confirms the reported irregularities or misconduct, and regardless of who retaliates or how.

Inform the External Reporting Office or the contact point in UZH’s Legal Services and Data Protection department (kontaktstelle@rud.uzh.ch) right away.

The External Reporting Office receives your report and sends confirmation that it has arrived. The office will then contact you to clarify your questions and concerns, to record the facts of the case and to inform you about the next steps. After that, your report will be forwarded to the designated contact point in UZH’s Legal Services and Data Protection department, and the responsible bodies at UZH will decide how to proceed. All plausible reports will receive an appropriate, fair and confidential investigation. Confirmed irregularities and misconduct will be addressed with appropriate measures or sanctions.

Yes.

The External Reporting Office and UZH take every report seriously, and every report will be processed.

In that case, UZH will take the necessary and appropriate measures.

This may include disciplinary or legal action, including employment-related action. In serious cases, these measures can lead to dismissal, the end of a supervisory relationship, expulsion or the termination of a contract. UZH can also take further steps to prevent irregularities or misconduct from happening again.

In cases of criminal misconduct, UZH may also file a criminal complaint or cooperate with the relevant authorities in other ways.

If UZH cannot establish the irregularities or misconduct that were reported, or cannot identify those responsible, it will take no action against you, provided you filed your report in good faith. You will remain protected from retaliation.

No.

UZH is responsible for investigating reported irregularities or misconduct, for taking any immediate measures that may be necessary and for imposing any measures and sanctions once the investigation is complete.

Yes.

You will be notified when your report is received and kept informed about its status, the results of any investigation and any measures taken (in general terms and as far as legally permitted). UZH cannot share information that would infringe the rights of people who were named in the report or who are involved in the reported irregularities or misconduct. Information that would hinder the further handling of the report also cannot be shared.

Yes.

The External Reporting Office answers questions about its role, about filing a report and about how reports are generally handled.

No.

Because it is independent, the External Reporting Office cannot advise you on irregularities or misconduct. If you need advice, the office can refer you to UZH’s internal advisory services or to other counseling services.

Yes.

The External Reporting Office is familiar with UZH’s internal points of contact and advisory services and can point you to the right one once it understands your concern(s). The office can also give you contact details for external services, such as the cantonal ombudsperson or victim support services.

Anyone who knowingly gives false, untrue or misleading information to the External Reporting Office is abusing the system. UZH does not tolerate abusive reports.

Abusive or malicious reports can have disciplinary, employment-related or criminal consequences for the person who filed them. They may also be held liable for any damage caused.