Bullying and harassment
All members of the department should treat others with dignity and respect and no forms of bullying and harassment are tolerated. It is everyone's responsibility to make it clear that such behaviour is unacceptable. Staff members should support any other member of the department who feels they have been subject to harassment. Anyone who has a concern is encouraged to speak to Harassment advisors who are available for a confidential chat or seek support to reach a constructive resolution through the mediation service.
What to do following a case of Harassment?
If you experience, or witness anything you think may be considered as bullying or harassment, you should speak to one of the following people:
- A member of the department's Human Resources team - Clare Wickings
- A department harassment advisor - Listed on the right, coordinated by Kathryn Ungerer
- Mediation service (details below)
- Speak to a harassment advisor outside the department, or find an identity specific advisor here (SSO)
- Contact the University Harassment Line harassment.line@admin.ox.ac.uk
- Report it through the University's Report + Support tool
- As a student you may also wish to contact your supervisor, DGS or college dean
- Your trade union representative
- Particularly for support in dealing with an external case of bullying and harassment you may wish to attend the course: Coping with Challenging Behaviours to learn techniques to avoid the escalation of conflict situations
- Tips for dealing with online harassment
Mediation Service
The Mediation Service is open to all staff and students in NDPCHS. Mediation is a confidential, voluntary and informal process that helps you work through conflict with your colleagues and find a practical solution that works for everyone.
NDPCHS is now part of the Mediation Service. Visit the mediation service webpage to find out more or email mediation@ndorms.ox.ac.uk for a confidential chat to see if mediation could help you.
Bullying and Harassment Training for Employees
Take the Equality and Diversity Unit's course to help identify, prevent, and tackle bullying and harassment, with the aim of removing it from the workplace altogether and creating a respectful, inclusive culture in the workplace. The course aims to provide practical steps and conscientious guidance on what to do if you identify bullying behaviour and decide to take action.
What is bullying and harassment?
A person can harass another by engaging in unwanted and unwarranted conduct which has the purpose or effect of:
- Violating another person’s dignity
- Creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for another person
The recipient does not need to have explicitly stated that the behaviour was unwanted and the intentions of the alleged harasser do not always determine whether harassment has taken place. The (reasonable) perception of the complainant is also be relevant in determining whether harassment has occurred.
What might be considered bullying and harassment?
- Unwanted physical contact, ranging from an invasion of space to an assault
- Sexual harassment including:
- inappropriate body language
- sexually explicit remarks or innuendoes
- unwanted sexual advances and touching
- Offensive comments or body language, including insults, jokes or gestures and malicious rumours, for example on the basis of race and religion or belief
- Open hostility, verbal or physical threats
- Insulting, abusive, embarrassing or patronising behaviour or comments, humiliating, intimidating, and/or demeaning criticism
- Persistently shouting at, insulting, threatening, disparaging or intimidating an individual
- Constantly criticising an individual without providing constructive support to address any performance concerns
- Persistently overloading an individual with work that that individual cannot reasonably be expected to complete
- Posting offensive comments on electronic media, including using mobile communication devices
- Threatening to disclose, or disclosing, a person’s sexuality or disability to others without their permission
- Deliberately using the wrong name or pronoun in relation to a transgender person, or persistently referring to their gender identity history
- Isolation from normal work or study place, conversations, or social events
- Publishing, circulating or displaying pornographic, racist, homophobic, sexually suggestive or otherwise offensive pictures or other materials.
- Stalking (following, contacting, monitoring, loitering, watching or spying on an individual)
You can read more about the University’s procedure for dealing with harassment complaints here, along with information specific to staff and students and links to the harassment advisor network: https://edu.web.ox.ac.uk/harassment-advice
