It can be very distressing if you have been accused of bullying, harassment, or discrimination. It’s important to be aware that we will not make assumptions and will not consider a person ‘at fault’ until an accusation has been investigated and a considered decision has been made. All those involved in any of our informal or formal processes will be treated fairly and offered advice and support.
It’s good practice to take time to reflect on the other person’s perception of your behaviour. Even if you feel that your behaviour was well-intentioned, your words or actions may have hurt or offended another person, and this may be thought of as an opportunity for learning, or perhaps for a change of approach.
• Listen carefully to the issues raised and to the particular concerns expressed.
• Stop the behaviour that’s been complained about straight away if you recognise that you have been behaving in an unacceptable way; if you are deemed to have bullied or harassed somebody after their objection to your behaviour was made known to you, this will be seen as a more serious issue.
• You are likely to need advice and support to understand and work through your response to the issues raised: find a way to discuss the matter with someone you trust, such as a manager or colleague, a trade union rep or HR contact to provide appropriate support. See the support pages for more information about who you can contact.
• If you feel you are being unjustly accused, consider asking for mediation. Supported informal discussions involving you, the person alleging ill-treatment, and a trained mediator may enable you to discuss the issues and find a way forward.
What happens when something is reported?
When a report is made, there are procedures that will be followed. The reporting party may wish to speak to a harassment advisor to discuss their options for informal or formal resolution.
If informal resolution is pursued, then the reported person will be contacted by an appropriate manager who is sufficiently outside the situation to try and resolve the matter.
If the matter proceeds formally, the reported behaviour will be investigated under the Grievance/Disciplinary Procedure which you can read more about on the policy and procedures pages.