We believe Bullying and Harssment is never okay and has no place within the Staffordshire University community. Staffordshire University is committed to promoting a safe and supportive environment for each and every member of our community.
Bullying can take various forms from name calling, sarcasm, teasing and unwarranted criticism, cyber bullying, to threats of violence or actual physical violence. It often involves the abuse or misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient.
Harassment can be defined as unwanted conduct that has the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment which interferes with an individual's learning, working or social environment, or induces stress, anxiety, fear or sickness on the part of the harassed person.
It is unlawful to harass someone because of their race, gender, gender reassignment, disability, age, sexual orientation or religion/belief. It is also a criminal offence to harass (or stalk) someone persistently.
Differences of attitudes, background or culture and the misinterpretation of social signals can mean that what is perceived as harassment by one person may not seem so to another; nevertheless, this does not make it acceptable.
Other examples of harassment include unwarranted physical or sexual contact, jokes, offensive language, posters, emails, texts, comments on social media, graffiti, public telling off or putting down, excluding or ignoring.
Harassment and bullying may be an individual against an individual (perhaps by someone in a position of authority) or involve groups of people. It may be obvious or it may be insidious. Whatever form it takes, it is unwarranted and unwelcome to the individual.
(Source: A-Z of Equality and Diversity. ECU, 2008, Acas 2009, The Equality Act 2010)
(Source: A-Z of Equality and Diversity. ECU, 2008, Acas 2009, The Equality Act 2010)