Preserving Staff Dignity Statement
Policy statement
We are committed to providing a work environment in which all of our employees are treated withrespect and dignity and that is free of any form of bullying or harassment based upon age, disability,gender reassignment, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins and caste), religion orbelief, sex (covering both sex-based harassment and sexual harassment), sexual orientation or upon anyother ground.
We will not tolerate any form of bullying or harassment of our staff, or abusive, violent or aggressivebehaviour towards them, by anyone, including by our clients, customers, contractors, and suppliers.Therefore, we will take appropriate and necessary action against any third parties who we discover havecommitted an act of bullying or improper or unlawful harassment against, or who have been abusive,violent or aggressive towards, one or more of our employees.
We will not tolerate any form of bullying or harassment of our staff, or abusive, violent or aggressivebehaviour towards them, by anyone, including by our clients, customers, contractors, and suppliers.Therefore, we will take appropriate and necessary action against any third parties who we discover havecommitted an act of bullying or improper or unlawful harassment against, or who have been abusive,violent or aggressive towards, one or more of our employees.
Definitions
We regard abusive, violent or aggressive behaviour as any behaviour which produces damaging or hurtful effects, whether physically or emotionally, on any of our employees.
Bullying is offensive, insulting, malicious or intimidating behaviour or an abuse or misuse of power which undermines or humiliates our employee.
Bullying is offensive, insulting, malicious or intimidating behaviour or an abuse or misuse of power which undermines or humiliates our employee.
Harassment occurs where you engage in unwanted conduct that:
- has the purpose or effect of violating our employee’s dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile,degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them, or
- is reasonably considered by our employee to have the effect of violating their dignity, or creating anintimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them, even if you did notintend that effect.
Sexual harassment occurs where you engage in unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that:
- has the purpose or effect of violating our employee’s dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile,degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them, or
- is reasonably considered by our employee to have the effect of violating their dignity, or creating anintimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them, even if you did notintend that effect.
The employee does not need to be the subject of the unwanted conduct for harassment to haveoccurred. For example, your conduct could be directed at someone other than the employee, or even at nobody in particular.
Conduct may be harassment whether or not you intended to offend. Something intended as a “joke” oras “banter” may offend another person. This is because different employees find different levels ofbehaviour acceptable and everyone has the right to decide for themselves what behaviour they findacceptable to them. Behaviour which a reasonable person would realise would be likely to offend willalways constitute harassment without the need for the employee having to make it clear to you that suchbehaviour is unacceptable. With other forms of behaviour, it may not always be clear to you in advancethat it will offend a particular employee, for example, certain banter and jokes or inviting an employeefor a private drink. In these cases, your behaviour will constitute harassment if your conduct continuesafter our employee has made it clear, by their words or conduct, that such behaviour is unacceptable tothem. A single incident can amount to harassment if it is sufficiently serious.
Conduct may be harassment whether or not you intended to offend. Something intended as a “joke” oras “banter” may offend another person. This is because different employees find different levels ofbehaviour acceptable and everyone has the right to decide for themselves what behaviour they findacceptable to them. Behaviour which a reasonable person would realise would be likely to offend willalways constitute harassment without the need for the employee having to make it clear to you that suchbehaviour is unacceptable. With other forms of behaviour, it may not always be clear to you in advancethat it will offend a particular employee, for example, certain banter and jokes or inviting an employeefor a private drink. In these cases, your behaviour will constitute harassment if your conduct continuesafter our employee has made it clear, by their words or conduct, that such behaviour is unacceptable tothem. A single incident can amount to harassment if it is sufficiently serious.
Examples
Examples of abusive, violent or aggressive behaviour include, but are not limited to, the following:
- verbal abuse, shouting or swearing
- physical assault, whether or not resulting in harm or injury
- assault using a weapon
- threat of harm to the employee, their property or their family.
- Bullying and harassment may be verbal, non-verbal, written or physical and it includes conduct whichtakes place by telephone, email, other electronic communication and in an online setting. Examples ofunacceptable behaviour include, but are not limited to, the following:
- unwanted physical conduct, including touching, pinching, pushing and grabbing
- physical or psychological threats
- inappropriate derogatory comments about an employee’s performance
- using abusive or threatening language in emails or other communications
- unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, suggestions for sexual activity or otherconduct of a sexual nature
- subjection to obscene, lewd or other sexually suggestive or racist comments or gestures, or otherderogatory comments or gestures
- the offer of rewards for going along with sexual advances or threats for rejecting sexual advances
- jokes, comments, remarks or pictures of a pornographic, sexual, sexist, racist, homophobic or ageistnature or which are otherwise inappropriate, derogatory, discriminatory or stereotypical
- demeaning comments about an employee’s appearance
- questions about an employee’s sex life
- outing or threatening to out an employee as gay or lesbian, or circulating rumours about anemployee’s sexual orientation
- consistently addressing a transgender or intersex employee by a previous name
- consistently failing to use an employee’s preferred pronoun
- the use of demeaning nicknames
- picking on, mocking, mimicking or ridiculing an employee
- continued suggestions for social activity after it has been made clear that such suggestions areunwelcome
- isolating an employee or excluding them from social activities or relevant work-related matters.
Dealing with complaints
We encourage our employees to report all instances of bullying or harassment, or of abusive, violent oraggressive behaviour, and we will then deal with such allegations confidentially and speedily. This willinclude conducting an investigation into the allegations and, at that stage, we may ask the allegedperpetrator to provide a written statement setting out their version of events.
We are committed to taking appropriate action with respect to all complaints of bullying and harassment,or of abusive, violent or aggressive behaviour, which we uphold against third parties. For example, wemay ask them to undertake to behave reasonably in future, or we may look to refuse to deal further withthem (either permanently or for a temporary period), or we may permanently terminate any contractualarrangements.
We are committed to taking appropriate action with respect to all complaints of bullying and harassment,or of abusive, violent or aggressive behaviour, which we uphold against third parties. For example, wemay ask them to undertake to behave reasonably in future, or we may look to refuse to deal further withthem (either permanently or for a temporary period), or we may permanently terminate any contractualarrangements.
