1. Statement of Guidance
Harassment pollutes the working environment and can have a devastating effect on the health, confidence, morale and performance of those affected by it. It may also have a damaging effect on other staff not themselves the object of unwanted behaviour who are witness to it or who have knowledge of the behaviour. All staff are entitled to a working environment which respects their personal dignity, and which is free from such objectionable conduct. Harassment is a disciplinary offence and incidents will be dealt with under the disciplinary procedure.
All employees have the right to be treated with dignity and respect by their colleagues and the Company is committed to providing a working environment free of harassment or intimidation.
To this end it is important that all employees should take careful note of the following:
- Any harassment, whether sexual, racial or on the grounds of disability, is unlawful.
- Harassment is any conduct related to sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, race, colour, nationality, national or ethnic origin or disability which is unwanted by or offensive to the individual involved, or which causes the individual to feel threatened, humiliated or harassed or which interferes with the individual’s performance, undermines their job security or creates a threatening or intimidating work environment.
- Harassment is damaging to the individual and to the Company and will not be tolerated. It will be treated as a disciplinary offence and may in serious cases lead to dismissal.
2. Practice
All employees have a personal responsibility for applying the Company\\\’s policies and for behaving in a considerate and respectful way to each other and to our clients and suppliers.
Directors and those employees responsible for supervising others have the additional responsibility of informing their staff about this guidance and taking steps to eliminate any harassment of which they are aware.
Any employee who believes that he or she is being harassed should raise the matter promptly with a company manager or director.
All complaints will be fully and promptly investigated and where appropriate, follow-up action will be taken. No employee making a complaint of harassment in good faith will suffer any disadvantage.
Investigations will be carried out with sensitivity and with due respect for the rights of both the complainant and the alleged harasser. All those interviewed will be permitted to be accompanied by a colleague or representative of their trade union or professional organisation.
The importance of confidentiality will be stressed to all those interviewed, and everyone will be strictly required not to discuss the complaint with colleagues or friends. Breach of confidentiality may give rise to disciplinary action.
The investigation will focus on the facts of the complaint. Notes will be kept of all stages of the investigation and those interviewed will receive notes of the interview to agree. Parties will not be required to repeat distressing or embarrassing details any more than is necessary.
Wherever possible, consideration will be given to ensuring that the complainant and the alleged harasser are not required to work together whilst the complaint is under investigation. Where it is not practicable to offer alternative duties to one or other party, the complainant will be given the option of remaining home on special leave if so desired.
The complainant will be kept informed of the general progress of the process of investigation and will be informed whether the complaint has been upheld and is to result in disciplinary action.
Where a complaint has been upheld, consideration will be given, wherever possible, to permitting the complainant to choose whether they wish to remain in their current post or to transfer. The Company will seek to ensure that the complainant is not in any way penalised whether directly or indirectly for bringing a complaint and the situation will be monitored to ensure that the harassment has stopped. In appropriate cases a complainant may be given additional leave at the discretion of the management.
Even where a complaint is not upheld, for example where the evidence is inconclusive, consideration will be given to effecting arrangements which will enable the parties not to continue to work together against the wishes of either party.
Any complaint that is unfounded and not made in good faith, for example a malicious complaint, will be treated as a disciplinary offence.
Details of all formal complaints of harassment will be collated by the HR Manager. These will be annually reviewed by the Managing Director with a view to ensuring that every effective step has been taken to prevent harassment at work and to monitor the effectiveness of the complaints procedure.