New Online Staff Harassment Reporting Form
The University of Kent is committed to fostering a positive working environment where all staff and students are treated fairly, with dignity, courtesy, respect and consideration.
Reporting harassment
Since the publications of a number of reports by the EHRC – Tackling racial harassment- Universities challenged, Sexual Harassment and Harassment ay work guidance document and the Universities UK Tackling Racial Harassment in Higher education guidance, we have been working to implement a number of the recommendations made;
- Completion and tracking of training to increase the understanding of harassment,
- An update of our intranet pages and induction to supply more information in relation to harassment,
- A review of our policies and investigation processes as well as the process for reporting.
We are pleased to announce as a result of this work, in Collaboration with the University IS department and our harassment contacts, an online form has been created that will allow all staff to disclose and report a number of situations either anonymously or fully disclosed.
Staff can make a report using the online reporting form situated on the new EDI Webpages or by contacting one of the many harassment contacts for advice.
- Bullying: Characterised as offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient
- Harassment: Unwanted conduct related to a person’s protected characteristic/s which has the purpose or effect either of violating a person’s dignity or of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that person
- Direct Discrimination: Different treatment of two individuals where the reason for the difference in treatment is a protected characteristic
- Indirect Discrimination: A practice, policy, or action, which may at first appear neutral in its effects, but at closer examination disproportionately and adversely effects a person’s protected characteristic.
- Discrimination by association: Where a person does not have a protected characteristic themselves but is treated less favourably because of their relationship with someone who does e.g. the parent of a disabled child of a disabled child
- Discrimination by perception: Acting or behaving in a discriminatory way towards a person due to the belief that they have a protected characteristic, whether or not they have such a characteristic
- Sexual Harassment: A person feels humiliated, offended or degraded because they have been treated in a sexual way. This is known as ‘unwanted conduct of a sexual nature’ and covers verbal and physical treatment, like sexual comments or jokes, touching, or assault. It also covers sending emails of a sexual nature, or putting up pornographic pictures.’ (Equality and Human Rights Commission). Unfair treatment because a person has declined sexual advances or has previously accepted sexual advances.
The new EDI webpages also include a number of different training packages. To support the launch of the Online Harassment form New training is available for all Staff on Bullying and Harassment via Staff Training Moodle
This module will introduce you to the causes and costs of bullying, harassment and victimisation in the workplace. It will show you how to identify bullying behaviour and the steps you can take to put a stop to it.
Harassment Contacts
We are always looking for more harassment contacts and would like to increase the diversity of our pool of contacts. If you would like to become a Harassment contact please email Staff Harassment to receive further information on the process and the training you will receive.
For staff refer to the Dignity at work procedure for further information on harassment at Kent
Further support for any cases of harassment can also be found by contacting your manager, your HR business partner and also the University EAP