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Bullying

This is a delicate issue because, if you accuse someone of bullying, you are accusing them of committing a criminal offence:

Intentional harassment in the workplace where abusive or insulting language or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour is used so that another person feels harassment , alarm or distress is a criminal offence punishable by law under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1974.

However, the recognised trade unions and management at UCL know that it is likely to occur in any organisation that employs a large number of people even though it should not. UCL has a Staff Anti-Harassment website at:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/harassment/index.php

UCL’s Harassment / Bullying Policy can be accessed at:

 http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/docs/harassment_bullying.php

This is an excerpt from it:

Some of the most prevalent forms of harassment & bullying include the following:

• Sexual harassment can take the form of ridicule, sexually provocative remarks or jokes, offensive comments about dress or appearance, the display or distribution of sexually explicit material, unwelcome sexual advances or physical contact, demands for sexual favours or assault.
• Racial harassment is usually although not exclusively directed at people from ethnic minorities. It may include jokes about, or gratuitous references to a person's colour, race, religion, nationality. It can also include offensive remarks about dress, culture, or customs which have the effect of ridiculing or undermining an individual or fostering hatred and/or prejudice towards individuals or particular groups.
• Harassment of disabled people can take the form of individuals being ignored, disparaged or ridiculed because of mistaken assumptions about their capabilities. Their impairment/disability rather than their ability can become the focus of attention and harassment can include inappropriate personal remarks, jokes or inappropriate reference to an individual's appearance.
• Harassment on the grounds of a person's sexual orientation may be aimed at heterosexual people but is more usually experienced by gay men and lesbians, bisexual men and women. Examples of harassment relating to sexual orientation are homophobic remarks or jokes, offensive comments relating to a person's sexual orientation, threats to disclose a person's sexual orientation to others or offensive behaviour/abuse relating to HIV or AIDS status. The European Commission code of practice on sexual harassment points out that lesbians and gay men often encounter disproportionate levels of harassment relating to their sexual orientation. The response of lesbians and gay men to harassment may also be complicated by the fact that in order to complain about it or confront it, they may have to be open about their sexual orientation with work colleagues (perhaps for the first time).
• Harassment on the grounds of gender identity may be aimed at transgender people, or people who have undergone, are undergoing, or intend to undergo gender reassignment. It is recognised that this is a separate issue unrelated to sexual orientation. It is unlawful to discriminate against, or harass anyone on these grounds under the Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999.
• Bullying is the exercise of power over another person through negative acts or behaviours that undermine him/her personally and/or professionally. Power encompasses personal strength, or power to coerce others through fear or intimidation, which is not always synonymous with status . Bullying can be threatening, insulting, abusive, disparaging or intimidating behaviour which places inappropriate pressure on the recipient or has the effect of isolating or excluding them. Bullying can take the form of shouting, sarcasm, derogatory remarks concerning job performance or constant criticism.

Bullying is to be distinguished from vigorous academic debate or the actions of a manager making reasonable (but perhaps unpopular) requests of his/her staff.

UCL also asks the recognised trade unions, every year, to provide Human Resources with details of any incidents of bullying reported to us (names are neither asked for nor provided). The trade unions provide information on the departments in which it has occurred, ethnicity, gender and/or disability of the individuals affected, the type of harassment (there is a code for each) and the role of the individual, e.g. manager, colleague, contractor, etc.

Staff also have the opportunity to report incidents and prevalence of bullying anonymously through the Staff Survey. The staff survey conducted in 2009 was asked for by the trade unions. It was conducted by an external contractor and we were satisfied that as much had been done as possible to ensure anonymity. For example, a password provided by the contractor from outside UCL’s domain had to be used to access the forms rather than one from UCL and UCL would not have access to the details of individual respondents. Staff surveys will be conducted more often in the future (about every two years) than in the past (every four or five years). We encourage you to take part. You can find a summary of the results of the last one and the local action plan that resulted from it for your particualr department at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/staff_survey/
(UCL password needed for access)

UCL also recognises that some people use Discriminatory Language that is likely to offend. A Guide to Non-Discriminatory Language can be found at:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/docs/non_discrim_language.php

The following is from the Health and Safety Executive website:

Negative behaviour includes:

• Ignoring or excluding you
• Giving you unachievable tasks or ’setting you up to fail’
• Spreading malicious rumours or gossip
• Giving you meaningless tasks or unpleasant jobs
• Making belittling remarks
• Undermining your integrity
• Withholding information deliberately
• Making you look stupid in public
• Undervaluing your contribution –not giving credit where it is due

http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/furtheradvice/bullyingindividuals.htm

One of the problems suffered by people being bullied is that they feel isolated and alone. This is not necessary. If you believe that you are being subjected to bullying or harassment at work and you would like support from the branch, e-mail unison@ucl.ac.uk or phone 020 7679 4888 from outside or 24888 from an internal line and leave a message. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

If you believe that you are being bullied by an officer, rep or ordinary UNISON member, contact the Branch Secretary and the Chair. If you believe that you are being bullied by the Branch Secretary or the Chair (or both) contact London Region. See Complaints.

In the meantime, keep a diary of the incidents recording the date, time and place of the bullying event, what actually happened and/or was said, by whom, and the names of any witnesses. If you inform us that you have started to do this either by e-mail or by internal mail addressed UCL UNISON Office, we will keep it on record so that it can be produced in evidence at a later date should the situation escalate or continue. Do not forget to add the present date to your letter.

Do not allow yourself to be provoked into responding in a way that could get yourself in trouble and make the bully look like the victim.

Most people witnessing bullying and/or harassment are made uncomfortable by it. If you witness someone (anyone, not just a manager) bullying someone else, you could inform them that their behaviour could be regarded as bullying and that it is illegal. Or you could refer them to this webpage. Some bullies do not realise that some aspects of their behaviour is bullying.

Ignorance is no defence in law but it is a contributory factor in turning a normal person into a bully.

The Andrea Adams Trust is the world's first non-political, non-profit making charity operating as the focus for the diverse and complex problems caused by bullying behaviour in the workplace:

http://www.andreaadamstrust.org/

The National Bullying Helpline can be found at:

http://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/

Their phone number is: 0845 22 55 787

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) has produced this document containing advice on bullying for employers and employees:

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=794