Anti-Bullying Week will take place from Monday 11 to Friday 15 November. It is a time dedicated to raising awareness and taking a stand against bullying in all its forms. We want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the importance of fostering a workplace where everyone feels safe, valued and respected. If you haven’t already, make sure you take some time to read our Dignity, Respect and Inclusion Policy.
We’re focused on creating a safe, inclusive environment at Sussex, where positive interactions are supported all the time. Bullying can take many forms, from overt actions to subtle, repeated behaviours that undermine someone’s dignity. While there is no legal definition of bullying, it generally encompasses unwanted behaviour from a person or group.
We’re committed to addressing and stamping out all types of bullying, and to creating an inclusive working, learning and living environment where all members of our diverse community can know that they belong and are treated fairly and with respect and dignity.
We are committed to an environment founded on the University’s core values of collaboration, courage, inclusion, integrity, kindness and openness, and we seek to embody these in all we do so that all members of our community can make a contribution and thrive. And we are committed to ensuring that Sussex provides everyone with the resources, tools, and guidance needed to feel confident and safe at work. During anti-bullying week, the results of our recent all staff survey results will be analysed and action identified to address key findings.
If you witness or experience unacceptable behaviour, please don’t ignore it, please tell us about it via the Report and Support Tool. We are here to listen and support you and all cases with contact details will be responded to.
Events and workshops:
We are planning to host some anti-bullying and harassment events in the near future and will share more details about this in the coming months.
But, in the meantime, Niki Eyre from Conduct Change is running an event as part of the RSA Economy and Business network on:
Tuesday 12 November at 12 pm: Risk management: how do we prevent workplace bullying and harassment?
This event will discuss and share ideas about how a risk management approach can help with the prevention of all forms of bullying and harassment in the workplace. With a new positive duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace (see wider context below for more details), risk management of behaviours needs to become an essential element of every business strategy. These measures can benefit everyone in the workplace and support a positive work culture.
Book your place via Eventbrite.
There are also some online courses and workshops we recommend:
- Challenging Behaviour;
- The Effective Bystander and the short film version;
- ‘Handling Workplace Bullying’ is available on LinkedIn Learning which has a section ‘Am I a bully?’ to help us all think about our own behaviours
- If you are a manager, set aside time in team meetings to check in on how everyone is doing. Creating a psychologically safe environment builds trust and fosters inclusion. To learn more, consider attending the Building Trust and Psychological Safety in Teams which is taking place on 20 November from 10am to 11.45am.
Resources:
- Under the Leadership and Management tab on our web pages, we have a link to a Trauma Informed Leadership pathway.
- Our Mental Health First Aiders are also on hand to offer support to staff and can signpost to further help and guidance.
- Our Staff Wellbeing Hub has lots more too, including report and support.
- Survivors Network also have some ‘dos and don’ts’ guidance Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault - Survivors Network and they offer training, including a webinar on the Impact of Sexual Violence.
- Rape Crisis have some helpful information on how to support a survivor: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/supporting-a-survivor/
Wider context:
The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill
The update follows a change to the law made by the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act, which came into effect from 26 October 2024. The Act introduces a new legal duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers (the ‘preventative duty’). Previously there was no proactive legal obligation on employers to take steps to prevent sexual harassment at work.
Bullying and Respect at Work Bill
The Bullying and Respect at Work Bill is a Private Members’ Bill which is scheduled for its Second Reading in June 2025. Aimed at promoting safer and more respectful workplaces, the Bill proposes, among other things, the establishment of a Respect at Work Code. It also seeks to empower the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to investigate workplaces and organisations where there is evidence of a culture of bullying or multiple incidents of such behaviour.