Introduction

We are committed to providing a work environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate bullying and harassment.

This Policy:

• Explains the concepts of ‘bullying’ and ‘harassment’.
• Sets out our expected standards of behaviour.
• Sets out the process you should follow if you have a bullying or harassment complaint.
• Explains how we will deal with any complaints.

This Policy applies to everyone who works for us, including employees, workers, agency workers, consultants, casual workers, volunteers and interns.

What is ‘bullying’?

Bullying is unwanted behaviour from a person or group that is one of the following:

• Offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting.
• An abuse or misuse of power that undermines, humiliates or causes physical or emotional harm.

Bullying can take many different forms. Examples of bullying behaviour include:

• Spreading malicious rumours about someone
• Consistently putting someone down and undermining them
• Deliberately giving someone a heavier workload than everyone else
• Excluding someone from team social events

Bullying could involve a pattern of behaviour or a one-off incident. It could happen face-to-face, online, by phone or in writing. It can be verbal and non-verbal. It is not always obvious to others.

Although bullying is often connected to a power imbalance, that does not mean that it always involves a more senior person bullying a more junior person. It can also be directed at someone more senior than the bully. It may take the form of spreading rumours, refusing to follow instructions, undermining authority, making fun of or mocking the more senior person or spreading rumours about them.

Constructive and fair feedback about your behaviour or performance from your manager or colleagues is not bullying. It is part of normal employment and management functions.