a)The Academy aims to create a fair, welcoming and inclusive environment where all members of its community can fulfil their potential.
b)All members of the Academy are expected to treat each other with dignity and respect.
c)There is a requirement that staff, students and visitors will not harass or bully other members of the Academy community.
d)The procedure applies to all current staff of the Academy.
e)The procedure may apply where harassment takes place off-campus.
The following principles will apply:
a)Wherever possible, allegations of harassment should be resolved informally without recourse to formal procedures.
b)There may be occasions when it is not possible or appropriate for an allegation of harassment to be resolved informally. In such cases HR Advisor will inform all parties how to proceed.
c)Any steps taken under this procedure should be taken promptly, unless there is a good reason for delay.
d)There will be no assumption of guilt made in any complaint of harassment until it has been proven.
e)It is acknowledged that counter-complaints of harassment sometimes arise when a complaint is made. In the event that a complaint gives rise to counter-complaints these should be considered at the same time as the original complaint.
f)Other procedures may run concurrently to the complaint of harassment. If relevant, the results of investigations undertaken as part of harassment or other procedures will be considered.
g)At any stage in the procedure, appropriate intervention such as mediation, fact-finding or non-adversarial discussions with the aim of facilitating resolution of the case may be undertaken.
h)If, on investigation, the complaint of harassment is found to be vexatious, the individual making the complaint may be subject to disciplinary procedures.
i)Right to be accompanied – All parties involved in this procedure will have the right to be accompanied at any formal meetings held under this procedure by a work colleague.
j) Right to support – All parties involved in this procedure can request support or advice if involved in a case – this could include support from a number of individuals or services.
k)Confidentiality – All parties involved in these procedures must ensure that they maintain, as appropriate, the confidentiality of the process within and outside of the Academy.
m)Timescales – Whilst every endeavour will be made to comply with timescales, due to the complexity and or specific circumstances of a case, timescales may be extended. In such circumstances the individuals concerned will be advised of the reasons for any delay.
n)Legislation – this policy is in accordance with the requirements of the Equality Act and Duty. Harassment is defined within the Equality Act 2010. There is no separate definition of bullying in the Act.
a)Harassment is behaviour that has the purpose or the effect of offending, hurting, degrading or intimidating a person or persons or violating dignity. It may be a single event, sporadic events or a continuing process.
b)Bullying is an aspect of harassment. It is defined as the persistent, intent to hurt or humiliate someone.
c)The defining feature of harassment/bullying is that the behaviour is unwanted by the recipient and unwarranted by the working or study/social relationship and would be regarded as such by any reasonable person.
d)Harassment/bullying may be verbal, non-verbal, physical, written or by other means of communication including electronic.
e)Victimisation is where someone is treated less favourably because they have taken or intend to take action under this Policy and within the scope of the Equality Act 2010, or are supporting somebody who is doing so.
a)At any stage in the procedure, the parties may request that the matter be referred for mediation.
b)Mediation is voluntary, confidential and outside of any other procedures at the Academy and will take place only if the parties agree. It is however, hoped that individuals will recognise the benefits of seeking to resolve issues via mediation and will be amenable to and co-operate with this approach.
c)Mediation will be handled by a member of the Academic Advisory Board, who is not employed by the Academy, and has not taken part in any of the complaint in question.
a)There is an expectation that every effort will be made to resolve complaints of harassment through informal procedures.
b)There is a range of options depending on the nature of the complaint, and who is involved. The individual making the complaint can:
i)Talk/write to the individual who is the subject of the complaint to inform them of the unacceptable nature of the behaviour and request that they stop. Cessation of the behaviour and an apology (if there has been any unacceptable behaviour) may be sufficient to bring the matter to a close. The individual making the complaint may ask for someone to accompany them or speak on their behalf.
ii)Arrange to talk to a HR Adviser to explore options for resolution of the harassment and for support. This may include mediation in appropriate circumstances.
iii)Seek a meeting with their manager. Depending upon the nature of the complaint, the manager may undertake to resolve the issue or advise the individual making the complaint on appropriate steps.
c)Once a complaint has been brought to the attention of the manager, it is the manager’s responsibility to ensure that the complaint is addressed.
d)The manager may need to make discreet investigations in order to establish whether any harassment or inappropriate behaviour has taken place and to take appropriate action.
e)If the complaint of harassment is against the employee’s manager it should be raised with the next level of line management.
f)Following an outcome to the use of the informal procedure, which is accepted by all parties, the matter will be considered resolved. This should be agreed in writing.
g)If there has been no accepted resolution via the informal procedure and before proceeding to the formal procedure, the individual making the complaint should meet with staff of the HR .
Department to ensure that all options for resolution of the complaint have been considered and appropriate action to seek resolution has been taken.
There are two likely outcomes to this meeting:
To ensure that the individual who is making the complaint is fully informed of the implications, the formal stages of the Grievance procedure for staff should be fully explored before proceeding further.
h)If, following the meeting at g) it has not been possible to resolve the matter informally and the harassment has continued, or where the alleged harassment is serious, the employee should raise the complaint formally using the Grievance Procedure for staff.
i)In very exceptional circumstances where the individual is reluctant to pursue a formal complaint through the Grievance Procedure, but where the alleged harassment is deemed very serious in nature or where the manager is aware there are broader issues of concern around the culture of a team/group of individuals, an investigation may anyway be instigated, with the agreement of the Head of Department and on the advice of the HR Partner/Advisor.
a)The Academy aims to create a fair, welcoming and inclusive environment where all members of its community can fulfil their potential.
b)All members of the Academy are expected to treat each other with dignity and respect.
c)There is a requirement that staff and students and visitors will not harass or bully other members of the Academy community.
d)The procedure applies to all current and past students of the Academy.
e)The procedure may apply where harassment takes place off-campus.
The following principles will apply:
a)Wherever possible allegations of harassment should be resolved informally without recourse to formal procedures.
b)There may be occasions when it is not possible or appropriate for an allegation of harassment to be resolved informally. In such cases the HR Advisor will inform all parties how to proceed.
c)Any steps taken under this procedure should be taken promptly, unless there is a good reason for delay.
d)There will be no assumption of guilt made in any complaint of harassment until it has been proven.
e)It is acknowledged that counter-complaints of harassment sometimes arise when a complaint is made. In the event that a complaint gives rise to counter-complaints these should be considered at the same time as the original complaint.
f)Other procedures may run concurrently to the complaint of harassment. If relevant, the results of investigations undertaken as part of harassment or other procedures will be considered.
g)At any stage in the procedure, appropriate intervention such as fact-finding or non-adversarial discussions with the aim of facilitating resolution of the case may be undertaken. The option of mediation may also be explored.
h)If, on investigation, the complaint of harassment is found to be vexatious, the individual making the complaint may be subject to disciplinary procedures.
i)Right to be accompanied – All parties involved in this procedure will have the right to be accompanied at any meetings held under this procedure by a representative or another member of the Academy community.
j)Right to support – All parties involved in this procedure can request support or advice if involved in a case.
k)Confidentiality – All parties involved in these procedures must ensure that they maintain, as appropriate, the confidentiality of the process within and outside of the Academy.
l)Timescales – Whilst every endeavour will be made to comply with timescales, due to the complexity and or specific circumstances of a case, timescales may be extended. In such circumstances the individuals concerned will be advised of the reasons for any delay.
m)Legislation – this procedure is in accordance with the requirements of the Equality Act and Duty. Harassment is defined within the Equality Act 2010. There is no separate definition of bullying in the Act.
a)Harassment is behaviour that has the purpose or the effect of offending, hurting, degrading or intimidating a person or persons or violating dignity. It may be a single event, sporadic events or a continuing process.
b)Bullying is an aspect of harassment. It is defined as the persistent, intent to hurt or humiliate someone.
c)The defining feature of harassment/bullying is that the behaviour is unwanted by the recipient and unwarranted by the working or study/social relationship and would be regarded as such by any reasonable person.
d)Harassment/bullying may be verbal, non-verbal, physical or by other means of communication including electronic.
e)Victimisation is where someone is treated less favourably because they have taken or intend to take action under this Policy and within the scope of the Equality Act 2010, or are supporting somebody who is doing so.
a)At any stage in the procedure, the parties may request that the matter be referred for mediation.
b)Mediation is voluntary, confidential and outside of any other procedures at the Academy and will take place only if the parties agree. It is however, hoped that individuals will recognise the benefits of seeking to resolve issues via mediation and will be amenable to and co-operate with this approach.
c)Mediation will be handled by a member of the Academic Advisory Board, who is not employed by the Academy, and has not taken part in any of the complaint in question
Informal Procedure
a)There is an expectation that every effort will be made to resolve complaints of harassment through informal procedures.
b)he individual who is making the complaint may wish to consider one or more of the following 2 options depending on which they feel most comfortable with; the nature of the complaint and who is involved:
i) Talk/write to the individual who is the subject of the complaint to inform them of the unacceptable nature of the behaviour and request that they stop. Cessation of the behaviour and an apology (if there has been any unacceptable behaviour) may be sufficient to bring the matter to a close. The individual who is making the complaint may ask for someone to accompany them or speak on their behalf, and/or:
ii)Seek a meeting with a Complaint Co-ordinatorwho is closest to the area of student life where the harassment is taking place. This member of staff may undertake to resolve the issue or advise the individual who is making the complaint on appropriate steps.
c)Once a complaint has been brought to the attention of the Complaint Co-ordinator it is that Complaint Co-ordinator’s responsibility to ensure that the complaint is addressed or referred on to a more appropriate staff member.
d)The Complaint Co-ordinator may need to make discreet investigations in order to establish whether any harassment or inappropriate behaviour has taken place and to take appropriate action
e)Following an outcome to the use of the informal procedure, which is accepted by all parties, the matter will be considered resolved. The Complaint Co-ordinator should obtain a written agreement from all involved to this effect.
i) If there has been no accepted resolution via the informal procedure and before proceeding to the formal procedure, the individual making the complaint should meet with a member of the Academic Advisory Board who has not been employed by the Academy and is acting as a mediator, he/she will be appointed to assist the student to resolve the complaint. He/she will make sure that all options for resolution of the complaint have been considered and appropriate action to seek resolution has been taken.
There are two likely outcomes to this meeting:
ii)To ensure that the individual making the complaint is fully informed, the Student Complaints Procedure, as well as the implications of entering into a formal process should be explored fully before proceeding further.
f) If, following the meeting at e) it has not been possible to resolve the matter informally and the harassment has continued, or where the alleged harassment is serious, the student should raise the complaint formally using the Student Complaints Procedure:
.
g) From this point forward the procedure should be followed under Formal Complaints Procedure.
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