The Higher Education Act gives university teachers and researchers at higher education institutions the right to engage in certain secondary work related to research and development. However, there are rules that it is important to know. A secondary job may not harm reputation of the individual or the higher education institution, nor may it distract from or hamper your work or compete with the activities of your higher education institution.
”Quite a lot of people have other jobs, but we do not have any statistics about this,” says Martin Hellgren, an HR specialist at Karolinska Institute (KI). “Everyone who reports a secondary job does so in a digital system, but the system does not currently allow us to compile statistics. Integrity is also an important issue, in that we as employers do not ask too many questions. It is very rare that we forbid an employee to have a secondary job.”
Martin Hellgren
HR specialist, KI
He explains that it is the Public Employment Act that governs whether secondary employment could undermine the position of the individual or organisation, while secondary jobs that could interfere with, distract from or compete with the individual’s primary employment are regulated in central collective agreements.
Work that belongs to the private sphere is not considered a secondary job. This may include normal leisure activities such as sports. Political or trade union assignments are not usually considered secondary jobs that must be reported unless they interfere with work or harm the university’s reputation.
The guidelines from the Swedish Agency for Government Employers state that “At the employer’s request, an employee is to provide any information necessary for the employer to assess the employee’s secondary employment,” but Hellgren also stresses that if you have a secondary job, you need to report it. That is stipulated in the regulations, both at central level and in KI’s own rules.
The Swedish Agency for Government Employers puts it this way: ” Chapter 4, Section 15 of the Higher Education Ordinance stipulates that a university teacher is obliged to keep the higher education institution informed of any secondary employment they have that is related to the subject area of their primary employment. The university is to retain such notifications on file and keep the documentation organised so that it is possible to continuously monitor the secondary employment of each teacher.”
Often, cases do not even reach KI’s HR department. Instead, it is the heads of department who deal with these issues first, in accordance with the work and delegation procedures. HR gets involved when doubtful cases arise, and then they ask the manager or head of department to inform the employee that ”This is probably in the danger area. Are you going to report your other job?” In such cases, people usually withdraw the notification and terminate their secondary employment. Hellgren points out that the HR department at KI tries to make it clear to the departments that managers should have a continuous and early dialogue about secondary jobs.
The higher education institution must not be put in an awkward situation by something that an employee does. This is considered a breach of trust. Employees are also not permitted to use the higher education institution’s logo or email address to benefit from use of the brand. A secondary occupation should therefore not interfere with work, which, in Martin Hellgren’s opinion, can be difficult to manage.
“Many of our researchers live for their research and work extensively outside the framework of their working time agreements,” he says. “We obviously do not want employees to work too much. If an employee is constantly tired, even after the weekend, because they work seven days a week, then that is not good. Their primary job must not be negatively impacted.”
Johan Tralau is a professor of political science at Uppsala University, although he is currently on sabbatical, which he is spending at a research institute in Nice. In addition to his work, he also writes thrillers set in the academic environment at Uppsala and books on Greek myths, while occasionally sticking his neck out as a cultural commentator in various contexts.
“Reporting secondary employment is very easy nowadays,” he says. “You do it in the same system where you also see your salary and apply for leave of absence and so on. It is straightforward. You do it every year.”
Johan Tralau
Professor of political sciense, Uppsala University
The balance between his primary employment and his secondary work varies.
“Sometimes I work full-time and take a few hours out here and there, while sometimes I take leave of absence for a little over half of my working time. I am very grateful that Uppsala and my department are so flexible in this regard. I know that many universities in other European countries do not agree to this kind of arrangement.”
The fact that he has been able to take part-time leave of absence at certain times has helped to make it work for him. He points out that you cannot neglect your research, teaching or administration, otherwise you cannot take on secondary jobs.
“There is, of course, a financial aspect as well. But it is also about what it not being, how shall I put it, too odd in relation to your work. I hope that is not the case for me,” says Tralau, citing examples such as “certain types of humour or highly inappropriate cultural expressions.”
He has previously said that his thrillers should be about the intellectual joy of solving a mystery. The books should be exciting, but if you are very nerdy or particularly well-versed in a particular field, then there should be clues that fit together and make sense, clues that become like a series of hidden Easter eggs in the book.
This way of thinking also permeates his research, which he wants to be perceived as solving puzzles and problems, conveying the joy of seeing that there is a solution to a puzzle and that everything falls into place.
“So in that way, I think my two occupations are very closely related. As far as I can remember, no one has expressed any disapproval. But my experience is also that my colleagues never talk about their side jobs. But that probably depends on what discipline you work in,” says Johan Tralau.
What side jobs are not allowed?
A secondary job must not be detrimental to the extent that it undermines the reputation of the employee, their colleagues or the higher education institution. In such cases, the secondary job may be prohibited, which may also happen if it is considered to interfere with the employee’s work or compete with the higher education institution’s activities.
The Higher Education Act contains a special provision that gives university teachers the right to engage in certain secondary work. However, at the employer’s request, state sector employees must submit information about their secondary jobs.
