Södra's Whistleblower Function
To the whistleblower function, one can report misconduct that is of such a nature that there is a certain public interest in the information being disclosed.
The following are examples of misconduct that should be reported via the whistleblower function:
- Fraud, corruption, or other forms of financial crime
- Severe forms of harassment or discrimination
- Health and safety deficiencies at the workplace
- Breaches of environmental regulations and pollution of the environment
- Unethical behavior in violation of Södra's internal guidelines and policies
The whistleblower function should generally not be used to report personal grievances or complaints that solely affect the reporting individual.
The person reporting to the whistleblower function has a statutory protection against being subjected to negative consequences as a result of their whistleblower report. However, for the protection to apply, the person must have provided the information in good faith, i.e. the person believes that the information provided in the whistleblower report is true and correct, and that the person has received the information in a work-related context and has a work-related relationship with Södra such as employees, interns, volunteers, job seekers, members of Södra's board, consultants and other hired personnel, as well as persons who are otherwise available to perform or perform work under Södra's control and management. Some other persons who assist the reporting person are also covered by the protection (for example, safety representatives) or others who have a connection to the reporting person (for example, a colleague, or a company owned by the reporting person).
Södra's whistleblower function is a web-based reporting channel where you can create a written or verbal report or ask for a physical meeting with the persons selected to independently handle whistleblower cases.
It is important that the whistleblower feels safe and is taken seriously when reporting. When a whistleblower submits a report via the web-based reporting channel, the whistleblower can therefore choose to be completely anonymous or provide their contact details to facilitate case management. The web-based reporting channel is managed by an independent, external party (PwC) that receives incoming whistleblower cases and makes an initial assessment of reported cases.
Södra has also appointed internal recipient persons within Södra's operations (Södra's HR Director and Södra's Chief Legal Officer) who cooperate with PwC in the handling and who make decisions on how the incoming cases should be handled and investigated.
The whistleblower receives feedback on the handling and the result of the handling to the extent possible without revealing sensitive information. If a case is dismissed, the whistleblower will also receive information about this. In the event that the whistleblower chooses to be anonymous, it is required that the whistleblower himself enters the system to obtain information about the handling of the case.
Södra processes personal data within the framework of the whistleblower function, more information about the processing of personal data can be found here:
Information about Södra's Personal Data Protection Notice
Södra's Whistleblower Function
