Harassment and Bullying Policy

Pending Approval from Governing Body in Michaelmas Term 2025

Introduction

1. This policy applies to all members of the College, including all employees, staff, students, fellows and all contractors and visitors to the college. The policy covers harassment, bullying and victimization.

2. The College is committed to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all members of the College are respected. The College does not tolerate any form of harassment, bullying or victimization.

3. The College expects all members of the College community, its visitors and contractors to treat each other with courtesy and consideration.

4. The aims of the College as reflected in this policy are to:

a. Promote a positive environment in which people are treated fairly and with respect.

b. Make it clear that harassment, bullying and victimization are unacceptable, recognizing that those behaviours may cause harm, physically and emotionally and that all members of the College have an active role to play in creating an environment free from harassment, bullying or victimization.

c. Provide a framework of support for staff and students who feel they have been subject to harassment, bullying or victimisation.

d. Provide a mechanism by which complaints can wherever possible be addressed appropriately and in a timely way.

5. Those in positions of authority such as senior officers of the College, managers and members of the Governing Body, have formal responsibilities under this policy and are expected to familiarise themselves with the policy on appointment. All managers have a duty to implement this policy and take reasonable steps to ensure that harassment, bullying and victimization do not occur in the areas of work for which they are responsible; and that if they do occur any concerns are taken seriously and dealt with appropriately under this policy and the relevant procedures.

Definitions

6. Harassment is defined as unwanted conduct meeting one or more of the following critera:-

a. A course of conduct on at least two occasions that harasses one other person, or a course of conduct that harasses two or more persons on at least one occasion each; in this context harassment includes causing a person alarm or distress where this is not a reasonable course of conduct in the particular circumstances.

b. Unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, or;

c. Unwanted conduct of a sexual nature or related to gender reassignment or sex that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment and because of the alleged victim’s rejection of or submission to the conduct the alleged perpetrator treats the alleged victim less favourably than they would have done had the alleged victim not have rejected or submitted to the conduct.

d. Unwanted conduct relating to a protected characteristic (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation), that has the purpose or affect of violating a persons’ dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment.

7. Bullying may be characterised as unwanted behaviour that is either: offensive, intimidating, malicious, or insulting, or an abuse or misuse of power that undermines, humiliates or causes physical or emotional harm to someone.

8. When deciding whether harassment or bullying has occurred the intentions of the alleged perpetrator and the perception of the alleged victim, including the extent to which that perception is in all the circumstances reasonable, will be taken into account.

9. Harassment and bullying can be either face to face or through other forms of communication, including but not limited to written communications and communications via any form of digital media. It can be verbal and/or physical. It can be direct to the person concerned or to a third party.

10. Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or otherwise intoxicated, is not an excuse for bullying or harassment.

11. Victimisation in a College context means subjecting someone to detrimental treatment because they have done, or you believe that they may have done or may do, one of the following:

a. Made an allegation of harassment, bullying or discrimination

b. Indicated an intention to make such an allegation

c. Assisted or supported another person in bringing forward such an allegation

d. Participated in an investigation of a complaint

e. Participated in any disciplinary hearing arising from an investigation or;

f. Taken any other steps in connection with this policy.

12. Freedom of speech and academic freedom are central tenets of College life as set out in our Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech. Exposure to any of the following is unlikely to amount to harassment.

a. The content of higher education course materials, including but not limited to books, videos, sound recordings, pictures.

b. Statements made and views expressed by a person as part of teaching, research or discussions about any subject matter which is connected with the content of a higher education course.

c. Vigorous academic debate when conducted respectfully and without violating the dignity of others or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading humiliating or offensive environment for them.

However, in some cases otherwise lawful speech can amount to harassment if the time, place, and/or manner of its expression interferes disproportionately with the rights of others. For example, speech which is acceptable as part of a formal debate on a controversial topic might nonetheless constitute harassment if delivered unprompted to a student with a relevant protected characteristic in a social context.

13. Reasonable management/criticism of work or the commencement of internal college procedures are not within themselves a form of bullying or harassment.

14. Harassment and bullying can take a variety of forms. Appendix A sets out a non-exhaustive list of examples of such behaviours

Support

15.Members of the college community who feel that they have been subjected to harassment, bullying or victimisation or have witnessed such behaviour or who are the subject of an allegation of such behaviour can find welfare support and/or support and advice on the options available to them from a variety of different sources:

For students: Support is available from members of the college student welfare team. For further information about who to speak to visit: Understanding harassment and sexual misconduct: What you need to know

For staff: Contact the HR Manager or your line manager in the first instance. Details of current college harassment advisers are also available on the intranet

For fellows: please contact the Green Templeton Senior Tutor or Principal.

Application of this policy

Reporting

15. Harassment, bullying and victimisation are serious forms of misconduct. Members of the College community who consider that they have been subject to harassment, bullying or victimisation or have witnessed such behaviour may make a report. For reports relating to the behaviour of:

a student of the College – report to the Dean of Welfare

a member of College staff – report to the HR Manager/an appropriate senior manager

a College Fellow – report to the Principal

a guest of a student of the College – report to the Dean of Welfare or Senior Tutor in the first instance

a third party – report to an appropriate senior manager

an alumnus – report to the Director of Development in the first instance. View the code of conduct for alumni

University Procedures

16. Incidents of harassment that occur within a University context will normally be dealt with under University procedures and policy. This includes alleged harassment by students of a college other than Green Templeton, in which case a report can be made to the Proctors. Advice and support on how to make a report to the Proctors can be provided for by the College Dean of Welfare, Senior Tutor or Academic Registrar. For matters relating to a member of University staff who is not linked to the College, please consult the University Harassment Policy/Procedure.

College Procedures

17. Where the responsible officer or manager judges a report to raise sufficient grounds for investigation, the College will investigate and, if necessary, take action. This will take place under the appropriate College procedure. For reports relating to the behaviour of:

A student of the College – Procedure for Complaints of Harassment (Students). Formal complaints: College Regulations Student Non-Academic Disciplinary Procedure

A member of College Staff – Staff Disciplinary and Performance Improvement Procedure (on intranet)

A College Fellow – Fellowships Disciplinary Procedure (College Regulations)

A third party – a relevant College Procedure

18. Wherever possible, the College will be guided by the wishes of those who have been subjected to alleged harassment in determining whether or not to begin formal procedures and in general will only usually investigate if they have received a report. However, the College reserves the right to investigate in the absence of a report from the person who has been subjected to alleged harassment or where they do not wish any action to be taken in certain circumstances (for example, where the alleged behaviour indicates a risk to others in the College community).

Informal Resolution

19. Where appropriate and where the alleged victim wishes, reports of harassment, bullying or victimisation may be resolved informally without recourse to formal investigation or other procedures.

Precautionary Measures

20. Where necessary, the College may also implement precautionary measures to ensure the safety of those involved or others on the College site. These may include (but are not limited to) precautionary measures under the Complaints of Harassment Procedure for Students, Safeguarding Policy or College bylaws or suspension under the Staff Disciplinary Procedure.

Complaints

21. A member of the College community who is dissatisfied with the College’s actions regarding a report of alleged harassment, bullying or victimisation may make a complaint under the Student Complaints Procedure (unless the complaint is more appropriately dealt with through another College and if the person who is dissatisfied is a student of the College) or raise a Grievance under the Staff Grievance Procedure (unless the complaint is more appropriately dealt with through another college procedure, if the person who is dissatisfied is a member of the College staff).

22. No action will be taken against someone making a report of harassment, bullying or victimisation which proves to be unfounded if the report is judged to have been made in good faith. However, if someone is deemed to have known or to have reasonably been expected to know that a report was unfounded, the allegation of harassment, bullying or victimisation may be judged to be vexatious or malicious, and disciplinary action may be taken in accordance with the relevant procedure.

Confidentiality

23. All parties involved in a matter (including any witnesses who may be interviewed as part of any investigation, or other members of the College community, and/or trade union representatives supporting any of the parties) should maintain the confidentiality of the process. The college applies the University’s Policy on Confidentiality in Student Welfare. Where possible, those involved in advising complainants should seek the consent of the individual for the onward disclosure of relevant information to those with a clear need to know. Where such consent is not forthcoming, the person entrusted with the information should make it clear that, in exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary to disclose the information.

Responsibilities

a. The Governing Body has overall responsibility for this Policy and for ensuring that the College takes all reasonable steps to promote and maintain an environment where neither harassment, bullying or victimisation is tolerated.

b. Responsibility for the operation and application of this Policy is delegated to the Dean of Welfare (as Chair of Student Welfare Committee) and the Senior Tutor in in respect of the conduct of student members. To the Principal in respect of the conduct of Fellows of the College. To the Bursar in respect of the conduct of employees of the College.

c. Student Welfare Committee and HR Committee, reporting into the Governing Body, are responsible for overseeing the actions in respect of this policy of those to whom responsibility under this policy has been delegated. Also receiving assurance and reporting on the application and effectiveness of this policy for onward reporting to the Governing Body.

d. All members and employees of the College are responsible for familiarising themselves with and adhering to this policy.

24. This policy will be subject to regular review by the HR Committee and the Student Welfare Committee reporting into the Governing Body.

August 2025