What are bullying and harassment?
Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour involving the misuse of power that can make you feel vulnerable, upset, humiliated, undermined or threatened.
Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour involving the misuse of power that can make you feel vulnerable, upset, humiliated, undermined or threatened.
Bullying can take the form of physical, verbal and non-verbal conduct. Non-verbal conduct includes postings on social media outlets.
Bullying may include, by way of example:
Bullying may include, by way of example:
· shouting at, being sarcastic towards, ridiculing or demeaning others
· physical or psychological threats
· overbearing and intimidating levels of supervision
· inappropriate and/or derogatory remarks about someone's performance
· abuse of authority or power by those in positions of seniority
· deliberately excluding someone from meetings or communications without good reason.
Legitimate, reasonable and constructive criticism of performance or behaviour, or reasonable instructions given to staff in the course of their employment, will not amount to bullying on their own.
Harassment is unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct which may (intentionally or unintentionally) violate your dignity or create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, which interferes with your learning, working or social environment. 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 sexual harassment or be related to a protected characteristic such as age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. At AUB we believe harassment is unacceptable even if it does not fall within any of these categories.
Some forms of harassment are considered a Hate Crime. A hate incident or crime is any act of violence or hostility against a person or property that is motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person due to a particular protected characteristic.
Harassment may include, for example:
· unwanted physical conduct or ‘horseplay’, including touching, pinching, pushing, grabbing, brushing past you, invading your personal space, and more serious forms of physical or sexual assault
· offensive or intimidating comments or gestures, or insensitive jokes or pranks
· mocking, mimicking or belittling your disability
· racist, sexist, homophobic or ageist jokes, or derogatory or stereotypical remarks about your ethnic or religious group, or gender
· outing or threatening to out you as gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans
· ignoring or shunning you, for example, by deliberately excluding you from a conversation or a social activity.
You may be harassed even if you were not the intended "target". For example, you may be harassed by racist jokes about a different ethnic group if they create an offensive environment.
Bullying and harassment are contrary to the Equality Act 2010 and the AUB Equality and Diversity commitment. It is also a breach of the AUB Student Code of Conduct, and the Dignity at Work policy.
Find out more