Contents
- How is bullying and harassment defined?
- What has the University done to tackle this problem?
- How can I report bullying and harassment?
- What are my options to seek a resolution?
- Is making a formal report the right step for me to take?
- What happens when I do report bullying or harassment?
- How might reporting bullying and harassment affect my studies?
- What is a hate crime?
The SRC and the University take seriously any situation involving potential bullying and harassment. This page will guide you on what constitutes bullying and harassment, what you can do about this and some areas you may wish to be mindful of as you look to address this. This is a general overview and not intended to address each unique scenario in detail.
As you will see underneath, there is dedicated support at the University, which will present you with relevant options, resources and support to help you address this.
How is bullying and harassment defined?
Using information from ACAS (An organisation specialising in workplace rights), the University has put together an overview of what is considered to be bullying and harassment.
The general definitions are:
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Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of power through means that undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient.
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Harassment is unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual.
Examples of bullying or harassing behaviour may include:
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spreading malicious rumours, or insulting someone (particularly on the grounds of age, race, sex, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation and religion or belief)
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unwelcome sexual advances – stalking, touching, standing too close, display of offensive materials, asking for sexual favours/coercion
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abuse or harassment relating to an individual’s disability, sexual orientation (e.g. homophobia/biphobia) or relating to gender reassignment/identity (e.g. transphobia), which under recent legislation changes are now considered hate crimes.
What has been done within the University to tackle this problem?
The SRC and the University jointly work on 2 key policy documents to support and protect students from bullying and harassment during their studies. These are:
This policy covers staff, students, contractors, and visitors across campus. The policy statement is:
‘The University of Glasgow is committed to fostering a working, learning and research environment where mutual respect and dignity is experienced by and between employees and students.
The University aims to promote a culture where we embrace diversity and difference; harassment and bullying are known to be unacceptable; allegations are dealt with in fair and timely fashion, without fear of victimisation.
The University recognises harassment is unlawful as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.
Harassment and bullying can have a serious detrimental effect on the health, confidence, morale and performance of those affected by it, and on the working, learning and living environment’.
You can view a list of FAQs for this policy if you want to seek further information.
This policy covers all students (including alumni) and staff, their representatives, and members of the public with whom the University communicates. The policy statement is:
‘To ensure the fair, honest and consistent treatment of all individuals with whom the University interacts, through any means of contact and communication.
To make the University community and members of the public aware of what constitutes expected behaviour and the action that will be taken to manage this.
To ensure that University students and staff do not suffer as a result of the unacceptable behaviour of others and are not placed at risk’.
How can I report bullying and harassment?
If you think you are being bullied or harassed, you can talk to a Respect Adviser within the University to help you work out your options for what you could do next. A Respect Adviser is a member of staff who has undertaken additional training on how to provide confidential, impartial advice and support to anyone facing challenges with bullying or harassment.
The SRC Advice Centre team are part of the University’s network of Respect Advisers, who have been given this training and are here to talk through your situation, so please do get in touch with us if you ever need to.
The University also use an online reporting system for bullying, harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct, called the UofG Reporting Form. This gives you an option to report your situation to the Welfare Team at the University who will then get back in touch and make you aware of a suitable Respect Adviser you can then discuss this in more detail with you.
You have the option to submit an anonymous report, however please note that anonymity will likely mean that the University is unable to investigate or take action about what you are reporting. They will take note of anything you do report and feed this back, but investigation is typically not possible when the University doesn’t know who is making the report and aren’t able to follow up for further clarification and details around your specific situation.
What are my options to seek a resolution?
Experiences of bullying and harassment can often be unique, nuanced and complex. As such, the best option very much depends on you, your own circumstances and the specifics of what has happened to you. This is why talking it through with a Respect Adviser can be a helpful process, as doing so often helps assess all your circumstances and make clearer what option may potentially be available to you.
Typically, there are 2 routes to seek resolution:
1 – Informal resolution
This option is generally accepted as being the quickest and most effective method of dealing with bullying or harassment, although it is naturally dependent on the circumstances and seriousness of your specific situation.
Guidance within the Dignity at Work & Study policy outlines how you might best approach this stage.
This may be that you approach the student or member of staff directly, provide examples of what behaviour is problematic, be clear as to how this made you feel and ask that this stops. This may be done via email or an in-person meeting. If this is not something you are comfortable doing, speak with the Advice Centre to talk through how we can support you with this.
2 – Formal Resolution
As you are now stepping into a formal process, this is likely to be longer, may require several meetings, as well as the input of other teams across the University.
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If your report relates to another student, you will typically raise this with the Student Conduct team at the University and follow the non-academic misconduct procedure. The Student Conduct team have put together an overview of how you would do this, and the Advice Centre have our own guide on what this process involves that you can refer to.
Guidance within the Dignity at Work & Study policy outlines how you might best approach this stage.
Again, please do speak with the Advice Centre to talk through how we can support you with this if you ever need to.
Is making a formal report the right step for me to take?
Through discussion with a Respect Adviser, you will be given the range of options above, an overview of what is involved and an awareness of the implications involved. What a Respect Adviser cannot do however is make a judgement on what is the best step for you to take. This will ultimately be your decision to take.
In taking a decision to move forward with a formal report, there are several areas that a Respect Adviser might want to discuss or make you aware of, which may include:
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Is there a strong enough evidence base for the allegations you are seeking to make? If you make an allegation in relation to a member of staff, HR staff will typically get involved and naturally evidence will become a key element of any investigation. If you make an allegation in relation to a fellow student, evidence again is key and must show that on the ‘balance of probabilities’, what is alleged to have happened, likely did happen.
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In relation to your studies, are you mindful of what may happen if, for example, you are a PGR student and you raise a formal report about your primary supervisor, who may not be easily replaced in your field of research?
What happens when I do report bullying or harassment?
The basis of this step is that your allegations of bullying and harassment are put to the individual in question, who would then be asked to respond to these with their own perspective and evidence. Through an investigation process, a decision is then ultimately taken on whether this does constitute bullying and harassment and if so, what the outcome will be.
The Advice Centre are here to support you with documentation, attending meetings and keeping you informed of options and progress during whichever process you are part of.
How might reporting bullying and harassment affect my studies?
For any student having to deal with bullying & harassment, there can be stress involved in taking this forward formally or informally. It is crucial then that you are aware of the support across the University that you can access to support both your mental health and academic studies. We have an overview of support you can access in our Mental Health Support page and encourage you to make use of this, if needed.
For academic support, you may wish to reach out to your Adviser of Studies or a Student Support Officer within your School.
What is a hate crime?
A hate crime is a crime committed against someone, which is motivated by prejudice against that person’s actual or perceived:
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Age
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disability
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Race
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colour
If bullying or harassing behaviour is motivated by this kind of prejudice, but falls short of being a criminal offence, it is known as a ‘hate incident’.
In some cases, victims/witnesses of hate crime or hate incidents do not feel comfortable reporting the matter directly to the Police and may be more comfortable reporting it to someone they are familiar with.
To ensure all victims/witnesses are able to report hate incidents and hate crimes, Police Scotland works in partnership with a wide variety of associates who perform the role of 3rd Party Reporting Centres. Staff within 3rd Party Reporting Centres have been trained to assist a victim or witness in submitting a report to the Police and can make such a report on the victim/witnesses behalf if need be.
The Advice Centre is a 3rd Party Reporting Centre.
For more information, go to the Third Party Reporting section on the Police Scotland website.
If you have been the victim of, or have witnessed, a hate incident or hate crime, please speak with the Advice Centre for a confidential discussion about what you can do next. You will not be pressured into reporting it if you do not feel comfortable doing so at this point.