Bullying is intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive behaviour, through means which have the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, or humiliating environment. Bullying usually involves a repeated course of conduct and includes online bullying.
Signs of bullying can include:
- Spreading harmful rumours about you
- Insulting someone with words or behaviour
- Publicly ridiculing or demeaning you
- Treating you unfairly by excluding you or victimising you
- Overbearing supervision or misuse of power that makes you feel uncomfortable
Legitimate, reasonable and constructive criticism of performance or behaviour, or reasonable instructions given to staff in the course of their employment, would not be considered bullying.
Harassment: Harassment is unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct which may (intentionally or unintentionally) violate a person’s dignity or create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment which interferes with an individual’s learning, working or social environment. It also includes treating someone less favourably because they have submitted or refused to submit to such behaviour in the past. Harassment often involves repetitive actions or behaviour that violate a person's dignity or create a hostile atmosphere.
Harassment may involve sexual harassment or be related to a protected characteristic such as age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, gender or sexual orientation. Harassment can take place on and off-line. Examples oof harassment could be:
o Insulting, mocking or making offensive comments.
o Unwanted physical contact or intimidation.
o Making inappropriate sexual advances or comments.
o Sending threatening messages or posting harmful content.
o Undermining someone’s work or creating a hostile work environment.
A person may also be harassed even if they were not the intended "target". For example, a person may be harassed by racist jokes about a different ethnic group if they create an offensive environment.
Harassment has the meaning given in section 26 of the Equality Act 2010 and section 1 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (in its entirety, and as interpreted by section 7 of the Act), meaning that harassment suffered by all students is within scope, rather than only by reference to protected characteristics under the 2010 Act.
You can read more about the University's Stance on Harassment and Sexual Misconduct here