Understanding Work/Study Place Mistreatment

• Harassment can take many forms and can include undermining the person, unfair treatment and denying training opportunities.
• Harassment may occur as an isolated incident or may be persistent.
• Harassment occurs when someone's actions or words violate another person's dignity or create an environment that is intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive.
• The key element of harassment is that the actions and/or remarks are regarded as unacceptable by the recipient.
• Harassment on the basis of race, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership, religion or belief, pregnancy, maternity, age, sex and sexual orientation is unlawful (as outlined in the Equality Act 2010).

Examples:

• Insults based on a specific characteristic or membership of a social group e.g. age, religion, race.
• Making threats or inappropriate comments about job security, intellectual capability, and performance.
• Coercion into action that goes against an individuals beliefs or morals.

Harassment on the grounds of a person's gender, sexual orientation or gender reassignment, harassment of a sexual nature and treating a person unfavourably because they have either rejected or submitted to harassment will not be tolerated within the University. Sexual harassment occurs when a person's unwanted conduct on these grounds could reasonably be considered by the recipient as having the effect of either violating their dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them. If you feel you may have experienced this type of behaviour please also refer to the Addressing Gender Based Violence Policy or visit the University's GBV webpages for additional information and support.

The University uses the current Scottish Government definitions in relation to this area, recognising that these may change over time (actions which fall within this definition include those that result in physical, sexual and psychological harm of the recipient or the violation of their dignity and include (but are not limited to):

• Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family (including children and young people), within the general community or in institutions, including domestic abuse, rape, and incest
• Sexual harassment, bullying and intimidation in any public or private space, including work
• Commercial sexual exploitation, including prostitution, lap dancing, stripping, pornography and trafficking
• Child sexual abuse, including familial sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation and online abuse
• So called 'honour based' violence, including dowry related violence, female genital mutilation, forced and child marriages, and 'honour' crimes
• Stalking
• Coercion and control

Harassment may include behaviour linked specifically to colour, nationality or ethnic origins. It can be a regular pattern of racist behaviour or a one-off incident. A common example is racist language. If you feel you may have experienced this type of behaviour, please refer to the Guidance Notes in the Dignity at Work and Study Toolkit.

Additional information is available on the University's Race Equality webpages

• Bullying is any conduct which has the cumulative effect of threatening, constraining, undermining, humiliating or harming another individual.
• It is usually repeated behaviour that is considered to be threatening, abusive, aggressive, intimidating, cruel, vindictive or humiliating by the recipient.
• Bullying tends to be an escalating process where the target of the bullying ends up in an inferior position and can be subjected to systematic negative acts.
• Bullying may include physical behaviours such as barging, jostling or shouting.

Examples: Withholding information from a person or persons, or excluding them from a group (e.g. a research group or committee).

Persistent misrepresentation or distortion of the behaviour of another member of staff.

Attempts to isolate an individual, including spreading malicious gossip, rumours and victimisation.

• The less favourable treatment of one member of staff in comparison to another on the basis of race, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership, religion or belief, pregnancy, maternity, age, sex and sexual orientation.
• The application of any unnecessary criteria that some members of staff will find easier to meet than others, and that might prevent progression or engagement for a sub-set of staff members.
• Any behaviours considered to be prejudicial towards members of staff based on the categories listed above.

Examples: The restriction of participation in training, public engagement or promotional events based on any of the categories listed above. Exclusion of any member of staff from any professional event based on their perceived membership in any of the categories listed above. Promotion of prescriptive ideas about abilities or performance based on any of the characteristics listed above.

Cyberbullying is bullying and harassment using technology. This includes bullying online and any form of anti-social behaviour over the internet or via a mobile device. It is an attack or abuse, using technology, which is intended to cause another person harm, distress or personal loss. In many cases, the spreading of offensive jokes or shocking or sexual material via phone or e-mail may also constitute cyber-harassment. The University has issued guidelines in respect of how to protect yourself; see Cyberbullying and Harassment - Information Security Campaign.

• Incivility is a lower-level behaviour than those listed above, is non-physical, and can appear ambiguous e.g. the person perceiving the behaviour may not be sure if it was intentional or not.
• Incivility goes against norms for appropriate workplace behaviour and politeness, and can therefore vary according to context.
• Incivility can be active, also considered a commission of disrespect, or passive, involving an omission of respect.

Examples: Any behaviour considered impolite or unprofessional. Active = Use of sarcasm, making unpleasant comments, inappropriate use of humour, being overly abrupt e.g. cutting someone off while they were speaking, assigning blame to an individual in front of others. Passive: Not responding to a question or comment, not responding to an email that requires a response or action, evidencing inattention whilst someone is speaking (e.g. looking at phone)

A microaggression is an everyday behaviour which communicates insults, hostility, prejudice or discrimination towards marginalised individuals or communities. It can be intentional or unintentional. There are degrees of intensity of this behaviour and they can be split as follows:

• Micro-invalidations - subtle denial of a person's feelings, experiences or thoughts
• Micro-insults - verbal comments or non-verbal actions, such as eye rolling, which demean or discredit
• Micro-assaults - deliberate and intentional slights such as avoidant behaviour or purposefully discriminatory actions, such as moving a purse or bag when you are around certain people.

• Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse, used to manipulate a person by psychological means into doubting their own sanity, their perception of reality and eroding their self-esteem, in order to maintain power and control.
• Gaslighting is not an easy thing to notice, confront or address, however it can be extremely damaging to someone if this form of abuse is prolonged. If you feel like you are experiencing gaslighting, it can be helpful to talk to someone outside of the situation to get an external perspective on the issue.

• Victimisation involves treating someone less favourably than another because they have, in good faith, made a claim of harassment, bullying or discrimination.
  
• It also applies to those who may have assisted an individual who is making a claim. Victimisation is entirely unacceptable and any complaints in relation to such behaviour will be dealt with promptly. Any complaints of alleged victimisation will be investigated and, if proven, will lead to the disciplinary process being invoked.