Human Resources Division
Advice to staff and students
If you feel you are being harassed or bullied
The University's Dignity@Work policy sets out expected standards of behaviour. In general these standards are the norm. However on rare occasions members of the University community may behave in ways which cause moderate or severe distress to those involved.
If you find yourself in a situation which is causing you distress you might want to consider the following points:
Before deciding what to do about the situation, you will find it helpful to seek confidential help and advice. Many people find it difficult to think clearly about a situation which is causing them distress. Discussing the problem with an adviser or Dignity@Work contact gives you the opportunity to analyse how you feel about it, what effect it is having on you, and what you believe is needed to solve the problem.
Any discussion with an adviser or contact will be confidential, and further action involving you will not be taken without informing you. You should be aware of the limits of confidentiality. You should be very careful to protect your own confidentiality. You must also protect the confidentiality of all others involved in the situation. If you state that you do not want any further action to be taken, you may be asked to confirm this in writing. Action of some kind may, however, need to be taken to protect you or others although every effort will be made to maintain confidentiality.
If you would like further information and support, please contact the Staff or Student Counselling Service. For information and advice about health concerns, please contact the Occupational Health Service.
For additional support or advice, members of the University can speak to a member of one of the Diversity Networks for Staff:
Additionally, a member of staff may wish to report a problem to his/her trade union representative and a student may wish to seek support from his/her Tutor, College nurse or chaplain, or an officer of the relevant student union. All requests will be treated confidentially.
The University's Equality & Diversity webpages provide more information on the law and the University's response to it.
You may seek the advice of a HR Consultant or a HR Officer in the Human Resources Division, who will be able to advise you on procedure and make sure that if you decide to take any action it is followed through.
You should always keep a record of the incidents which are causing you distress.
If you can avoid confrontation you have a better chance of solving the problem. If you are unhappy with somebody's behaviour towards you and feel able to tell him or her how you feel and what you would like to see changed, either face to face or by letter, this may resolve the situation and restore good working relationships (see Personal action by the complainant).
If you want to look for a resolution in this way you may want to ask for the support of a Dignity@Work contact, an adviser or even a discreet friend on a confidential basis, either to help you to work out what to say or to accompany you when you meet the person. Because of the possibility of counter-accusation or recrimination, it is probably wise to alert an adviser, a contact or a friend to the problem before you approach the person concerned, even if you feel able to take this action on your own.
If you want to communicate this message by letter, you will find a suggested form of words at the end of this section.
Even if you are able to resolve the situation by approaching the person concerned, you may wish to inform your HR Consultant/HR Officer, College Tutor or somebody in your own institution so that he or she is aware of any situation or incident which could cause future difficulties.
If you have tried this approach and it has not worked, or if you do not feel confident enough to try it, you may approach your Head of Department, immediate supervisor, line manager, or departmental administrator and ask them to help to solve the problem (see the section of the Procedure which discusses informal resolution).
If neither of these approaches has or would have the desired effect or the matter is particularly serious, you can consider making a formal complaint to your Head of Institution, or the Director of Human Resources, who will then arrange for a formal investigation within a brief timescale.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a formal investigation you may complain in accordance with the relevant grievance procedure.
If your complaint is not upheld you may expect steps to be taken to help restore reasonable working relations between you and the person against whom you made the complaint.
If your complaint is not upheld and is found to be malicious or vexatious, this will lead to disciplinary procedures against you, which could result in a disciplinary warning, dismissal or expulsion.
You may be accompanied at any interview or other steps in the procedure by a colleague or a trades union representative or if you are a student an officer of the relevant students' union.
At all times you should observe confidentiality and you can expect all other parties involved to do the same. You should ask any witnesses or advisers to maintain confidentiality.
If the behaviour which is causing you distress includes messages or offensive material sent to you by computer and you can identify the source of the messages, you should follow the advice above. If you cannot identify the source of the material you can send an email to confidential@ucs.cam.ac.uk, which will be dealt with by a senior member of the Computing Service and/or a HR Consultant or a HR Officer. You can also make an appointment via Reception to see the appropriate person (in the Computing Service/Human Resources Division) for advice and assistance about the problem.
If you are accused of harassment or bullying
You may seek confidential advice. You will find information in sources of advice. It would be advisable to do this before taking any other steps. Any discussion will be confidential but you should be aware of the limits to confidentiality.
Listen carefully to what is being said. You may find that you have unintentionally caused offence, or you may believe that your words or actions have been misinterpreted or misjudged. In any of these cases you will need to keep calm in order to try to reach an understanding with the person accusing you.
Be honest. If you come to realise that you have harassed or bullied another person be ready to change the behaviour causing offence.
If you realise that you have, or appear to have, harassed or bullied another person, you may wish to seek support in changing your behaviour in future: the Staff Counselling Service or another of the sources listed in this section may be able to help you.
Be prepared to participate in conciliation or mediation if an attempt is made to resolve the matter informally.
If you believe the accusation to be unfounded say so, but arrange to seek advice and support as soon as possible whether the situation is resolved informally or formally.
You may wish to report the accusation to your trades union representative on a confidential basis.
You may seek the advice of a HR Consultant or a HR Officer in the Human Resources Division, who will be able to advise you on procedure.
You may wish to be accompanied at any interview or other stage in the procedure by a colleague or a staff representative or a trades union representative.
If a complaint made against you is not upheld you may expect steps to be taken to help restore reasonable working relations between yourself and the person who made the complaint.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of an investigation of a complaint made against you, you may complain in accordance with the relevant grievance procedure.
If a complaint made against you is upheld and where there is evidence of wilful misconduct or seriously irresponsible behaviour, this will lead to disciplinary procedures against you, which could result in a disciplinary warning, dismissal or expulsion.
At all times you should observe confidentiality and you can expect all other parties involved to do the same. You should ask any witnesses or advisers to maintain confidentiality.
Using the right words
These are a format and some words which it may be helpful to use in a letter or in speech:
Describe the behaviour very precisely, where and when it happened. If you are vague the person causing the problem may be able to pretend that he or she does not understand what you are talking about.
Tell the person how you feel about what has happened.
Describe the effect it is having on you (you may find you are avoiding the person, or working less effectively so that your work performance is affected).
Say precisely what you want to happen. Including the steps outlined in 1-3 above you could write or say:
On the [date/day], at [time], you [describe the behaviour precisely]. Your behaviour made me feel [describe your feelings and reactions.]
I wish you to stop [the behaviour]. You are harassing/bullying me and I have made a written record of the details. If this behaviour towards me is repeated I may make a formal complaint.
This form of words (adapted from Eliminating Sexual Harassment, Herbert 1994, p. 102) is one which should be recognised by everyone as a signal that a complainant is objecting to harassment or bullying and is seeking an informal resolution of the problem.