Page 77 - Employee Handbook

well as outside, and that this can seriously affect employees’ working lives by
interfering with their job performance or by creating a stressful, intimidating
and unpleasant working environment.

Policy
We deplore all forms of harassment and bullying and seek to ensure that the
working environment is sympathetic to all our employees.
We have published these procedures to inform employees of the type of
behaviour that is unacceptable and provide employees who are the victims of
personal harassment and bullying with a means of redress.
We recognise that we have a duty to implement this policy and all employees
are expected to comply with it.
What is Harassment?
Harassment is any unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct which has
the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating,
hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them. A single
incident can amount to harassment.
It also includes treating someone less favourably because they have submitted
or refused to submit to such behaviour in the past.
Unlawful harassment may involve conduct of a sexual nature (sexual
harassment), or it may be related to age, disability, gender reassignment,
marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality,
ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Harassment is unacceptable even if it does not fall within any of these
categories.
Harassment takes many forms and employees may not always realise that their
behaviour constitutes harassment. Harassment may include, for example:
• insensitive jokes and pranks;
a) lewd or abusive comments about
appearance;
b) deliberate exclusion from conversations;
c) displaying abusive or offensive writing or
material;
d) sending or displaying material that is
pornographic or that some people may find
offensive (including e-mails, text messages,
video clips and images sent by mobile phone
or posted on the internet);

77 Employee Handbook