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Secondary employment

In principle, secondary employment is any occupation in which you engage temporarily or permanently alongside your employment. Below is information on the rules that apply and how secondary employment is to be reported.

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The main rule is that employees dispose of their leisure time as they wish and that secondary employment is permitted. However, pursuant to legislation and collective agreements, some types of secondary employment are prohibited on the grounds that they damage credibility, interfere with work duties or represent competition.

Your responsibility as an employee

As an employee, you are responsible for ensuring that the secondary employment does not damage credibility. Secondary employment and work at the University are always to be clearly separated and all secondary employment is to be entirely conducted outside the framework of employment at the University, in terms of both content and time. 

Secondary employment for teaching staff

Teaching staff at higher education institutions have a more extensive right to engage in secondary employment regarding research and development (R&D) within the subject area of their main employment. This is to facilitate cooperation between the University and wider society. This rule applies only to R&D work and not to teaching assignments or other commitments. 

This right entails a greater obligation for teaching staff to report secondary employment. The following categories are considered teaching staff, as defined in the Lund University Appointment Rules. 

Lund University Appointment Rules (PDF, new tab)

  • professor and visiting professor
  • adjunct professor
  • post-retirement professor 
  • senior lecturer
  • adjunct senior lecturer
  • associate senior lecturer
  • postdoc
  • lecturer
  • adjunct lecturer

If you are employed as a researcher or a doctoral student, you are not covered by the rules concerning secondary employment for teaching staff.

Reporting secondary employment 

All teaching staff, regardless of the scope of their employment, are to submit a report annually on secondary employment. Teaching staff who have no secondary employment are also to submit a report. 
When you report secondary employment, you are to do so in such a way as to allow your manager to determine whether or not it is permitted.

A new report is to be submitted as soon as you intend to undertake/are undertaking new secondary employment or when there are changes in the scope or nature of previously reported and approved secondary employment.

A small number of managers are covered by the local agreement on central management positions. If you are one of them, you have a greater obligation to report secondary employment and must submit an annual report regardless of whether or not you are engaged in secondary employment.

Non-academic staff only have an obligation to report secondary employment when this is requested by their manager.

Reports on secondary employment are made in Primula:

Please note that in Primula, the synonym ”sideline” is used for secondary employment.

Sanctions

The University can take a special decision ordering an employee to cease their secondary employment or prohibiting them from undertaking it.

In the case of a serious offence, or if an employee continues to engage in secondary employment despite a request or decision ordering him or her to desist, he or she may incur disciplinary liability for misconduct or the university employment may be terminated.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about secondary employment

Below are answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about secondary employment. If you are wondering about something or have any questions, contact your line manager. 

The regulations apply to all employees and for some positions there is a special obligation to report secondary employment.

 

I am not a member of the teaching staff. Do I need to report secondary employment?

In general, no, unless your manager has specifically asked you to report it. If you have secondary employment and are uncertain if it may be considered to damage credibility, you are to consult with your manager and report the secondary employment. 

I am not a member of the teaching staff or a manager with a special obligation to report secondary employment. May I still report my secondary employment?

All employees may report secondary employment, and if you are a manager with budget responsibilities or responsible for admissions or procurement, for example, you should report, even though you have no obligation to do so.

My secondary employment corresponds to just five (5) hours per year. Do I need to report it?

Yes, if you are a member of the teaching staff. Even though the secondary employment is very minor in extent it may be considered to damage credibility, interfere with work duties or represent competition.

 

I have a combined appointment at the Faculty of Medicine and Region Skåne. Do I need to report the appointment at Region Skåne as secondary employment?

The appointment that is combined with an appointment at Region Skåne does not need to be reported, as it constitutes a precondition for the appointment at the University. You do, however, have an obligation to report that you have read the information on your obligation to report and to report any other secondary employment you have.

I have an appointment of limited scope at another university. Is this considered to be secondary employment that represents competition? 

No, but it is secondary employment that may be considered to interfere with work duties and is therefore to be reported.

I have been offered an assignment at an educational organisation. Is this considered to be secondary employment that represents competition? 

Yes, if the university conducts or is considered to conduct commissioned education within the same or a similar area, the secondary employment may be considered to represent competition.

I have an appointment at Lund University and an appointment at Region Skåne. Could the assessments from these organisations differ? Is there any coordination between these organisations?

The assessments may very well differ. Each manager assesses secondary employment in relation to the activities, responsibilities, position/role and duties etc. Therefore, coordination is not possible.

Do visiting professors and adjunct teaching staff need to report their main employment outside the University as secondary employment? 

Having another position is inherent to a visiting professorship or an adjunct teaching position, as this is a condition for such appointments. Before these appointments, it is important for Lund University to ascertain that the candidate’s other employment does not entail a risk of damage to the University’s credibility. Once this assessment has been made, the visiting professor/adjunct lecturer does not need to report their work outside Lund University as secondary employment. Other than that, all staff are bound by Lund University’s regulations to report other employment/secondary employment annually, or to certify that they do not have any other employment/secondary employment. 

 

My appointment is just 20% of full-time and my main occupation is outside the University. Do I need to report the secondary employment?

Yes, if you are a member of the teaching staff. If you are a member of the non-academic staff, you only need to report if your manager specifically requests it. 

 

I serve in an elected office that is to some extent within the scope of my employment. Do I need to report it?

If your manager does not know that you have the assignment or if it is not entered in your duties plan, you should report the secondary employment.

Sometimes, I am an external expert, external reviewer or a member of an examining committee. Is this secondary employment? And, if I receive a fee for it, does this then change the assessment? 

Assignments that may be said to be within the scope of employment, regardless of whether or not a small fee is paid, are not considered to be secondary employment. 

I am a committee member in a tenant-owners association. Do I need to report it? 

Yes, if you are a member of the teaching staff. 

 

I wonder if secondary employment that has been deemed prohibited can be allowed? 

A manager could permit secondary employment that otherwise interferes with work duties if it is deemed to be of importance to Lund University and that together you plan when the secondary employment is to be carried out, so that work at the University does not suffer.

 

I own shares in a development company that has a certain connection with activities at Lund University. I do not consider it as secondary employment. Is it to be reported in another way?

There is no general rule against public sector officials owning shares or other ownership participations in business enterprises or in any other way having ownership interests in businesses. Shareholdings may, however, entail a risk of conflict of interest and, for example, in combination with a board position or assignment at the company would also be deemed as secondary employment considered to damage credibility.

Conflict of interest

Note that as an employee, you always have an obligation to report any potential conflict of interest for each instance of case management or statement of position and that you are not to participate at all in processing or decisions in such cases.

Contact

Contact your line manager or the HR function at your organisational unit if you have any questions concerning employment or your organisational unit’s procedures for HR matters.

Identify yourself with BankId for personal information over the phone with SSC

As of 24/10 2023, if you call the National Government Service Center (SSC), you need to identify yourself with BankID to receive answers to personal information that, for example, concerns your payslip.

If you do not identify yourself, you will receive the answers to your questions in a case in the SSC Portal.

Primula support

In Primula Web you can carry out many tasks relating to your employment, including applying for annual leave, viewing your salary statements, reporting secondary employment and submitting a declaration of illness.

Log in to Primula

SSC Portal

In the SSC Portal you can find information about operational disruptions and planned interruptions to services for upgrades, in Primula. 

Log in to SSC Client Portal

Call ext. 29 000, press 3

External call, from a personal telephone +46 (0)46 222 90 00, press 3)