Harassment is unwanted conduct which violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. It may be on the grounds of sex, marital status, race, disability, religion or beliefs, sexual orientation, age or gender reassignment. For the purposes of this Policy this list should be considered non-exhaustive, and harassment or bullying on any grounds will not be tolerated by the Company. Harassment may be persistent or an isolated incident, obvious or subtle, face-to-face or indirect.
KnowledgeBrief (KB) wishes to provide a stimulating and supportive working environment which will enable its staff to fulfil their personal potential and creativity. Such an environment cannot exist where any member of staff is subjected to harassment, intimidation, aggression or coercion.
Also, KB wishes to ensure an open, transparent and safe working environment where all KB people feel able to speak up. Hence KB is committed to listen to the important concerns of all KP people. In instances about important concerns or knowledge of wrongdoing “blowing the whistle” the escalation route is the same as for harassment or bullying outlined in this policy.
KB is fully committed to the principles of equality and diversity in the workplace and regards harassment as a form of discrimination. As such KB will not tolerate any form of bullying or harassment. The legal and moral drivers for preventing bullying and harassment are clears. Yet, there are also very positive business benefits: our research into high-performing organisations and across the services we provide, is that a working environment providing psychological safety enhances business performances. We have learnt that advanced organisations actively design safe working environments, where people can thrive and contribute more and better to the organisational objectives.
Examples of behaviour which may constitute harassment or bullying include (but are not limited to):
Whistleblowing is the term used when an employee passes on information concerning wrongdoing. The wrongdoing will typically (although not necessarily) be something they have witnessed at work. To be covered by whistleblowing law, an employee who blows the whistle must reasonably believe two things: (1) They are acting in the public interest. This means in particular that personal grievances and complaints are not usually covered by whistleblowing law. (2) An employee must reasonably believe that the disclosure tends to show past, present or likely future wrongdoing falling into one or more of the following categories:
This policy applies to:
We will:
All KB people are expected to:
Informal Procedure
If the employee feels able, they should speak up at the time when they feel harassed or bullied. It is important to be direct and for the employee to state explicitly that they feel they are being harassed and that the behaviour is unacceptable to them. The employee can also discuss the matter with another colleague or their supervisor and ask them to speak to the harasser on their behalf. Where the informal procedure has not resolved an employee’s complaint, a formal grievance can be raised by the employee.
Formal Procedure
Any employee who feels that they have been subjected to harassment or bullying may at any time decide to deal with the issue through formal procedures, regardless of whether informal steps have been taken or not.
They could write a letter which clearly identifies the offending behaviour and requests that it stops immediately. The employee should sign and date any such letter and ensure that a copy is kept for any possible future formal complaint. It is also advisable that the employee keep an ‘incident diary’ of any offending behaviour. Where employees are not happy with the outcome of the formal grievance procedure they can appeal this decision internally.
The Company will investigate any informal or formal complaint thoroughly and fairly.
Consequences of Breach
Harassment is a disciplinary offence and will be dealt with according to the Company’s Disciplinary Procedures. Bullying, harassment, victimisation or discrimination may constitute gross misconduct, punishable by summary dismissal without notice.
Employees should bear in mind that harassment or bullying may also constitute a criminal offence punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment.
Third Party Harassment
Third party harassment refers to harassment of an employee by any person who is not an employee of the Company. Third party harassers may include:
Any employee who believes that they have been the victim of third party harassment should immediately inform their immediate line manager of the incident.
Where an employee has been harassed on more than one occasion, the Company will take such steps as are reasonably practicable to prevent any recurrence.
For the purposes of third party harassment, it is immaterial whether the third party harasser is a different person in each instance of harassment.
All individuals will receive an induction into their learning/employment and working environment. We will make everyone aware of our commitment to prevent bullying and harassment, and how to make us aware of any dissatisfaction or concern.
We are committed to creating open and conducive learning and working environments where everyone has the right to feel safe from bullying and harassment. We will ensure all individuals have clear routes to report incidents and/or concerns and for these to be managed fairly and fully.
Equality Act 2010
Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service)
Department for Business Innovation & Skills: Whistleblowing; Guidance for Employers and Code of Practice
Whistleblowing law is located in the Employment Rights Act 1996 (as amended by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998). It provides the right for a worker to take a case to an employment tribunal if they have been victimised at work or they have lost their job because they have ‘blown the whistle’.
Anti-bullying and Harrassment Policy, 27/02/2018, v1.3