Anti-Bullying Policy

Introduction

Bullying and harassment means any unwanted behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated, degraded, humiliated or offended. It is not necessarily always obvious or apparent to others.

Bullying or harassment can be between two individuals, or it may involve groups of people. It might be obvious, or it might be insidious. It may be persistent or an isolated incident. It can also occur in written communications, by phone or through email, not just face-to face.

Examples of bullying and harassing behaviour could include:

• Spreading malicious rumours, or insulting someone
• Exclusion or victimisation
• Unfair treatment or demands from employer
• Deliberately undermining a competent worker by constant criticism

Bullying itself isn’t against the law, but harassment is. This is when the unwanted behaviour is related to one of the following:

• Age
• Sex
• Disability
• Gender (including gender reassignment)
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sexual orientation

Oxford Energy Academy Ltd believes that any of the above behaviours, whether against the law or not are completely unacceptable and action will be taken wherever these actions are found.

Process

Where any employee, learner or visitor is subjected to any of the above actions (bullying or harassment) they must report the incident to the Director if they cannot resolve the incident informally – by being able to speak directly to the individual concerned or to write to him/her expressing their concerns and requesting that the harassing behaviour stop immediately.

Confidentiality is very important in dealing with cases of alleged harassment as they will be much more difficult to resolve informally if information about the matter becomes common knowledge.

Alternatively, they have every right to talk to someone in order to obtain another perspective on the situation and to ensure that someone else knows about it and can take action with them to ensure that it stops.

A final option is to make a formal complaint to the Director.

While the formal complaint is under investigation, an alternative location, or timetable for the work of the complainant will be considered where requested (although there can be no guarantees that this is possible) and the Director will endeavour to make the working environment as neutral/safe as possible.

A formal investigation will be carried out within one working week and reported back to the person making the complaint. The Oxford Energy Academy Ltd Complaints Policy will be followed.

All training and behaviours at Oxford Energy Academy Ltd should emphasise:

• The legal and moral responsibilities of all staff
• How to recognise and put a stop to bullying and harassment
• Why certain behaviours are inappropriate
• The damage caused by bullying and harassment
• How to respond to inappropriate behaviour
• The knowledge and skills necessary to work successfully as part of a diverse team