Approved by the Personnel
Committee on 12th September 2007
1. DIVERSITY AND DIGNITY AT WORK AND STUDY POLICY
STATEMENT
The University of Westminster is committed to creating a
stimulating, supportive, inclusive and accessible learning and
working environment, based on mutual respect and trust, to assist
all staff and students to achieve their full potential. The
University has a long and proud history of ensuring that all
members of the University community and job applicants are treated
solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential
without any unjustified discrimination on grounds of age, sex,
disability, family circumstances, race, religion and belief,
colour, nationality, citizenship, ethnic origin, social and
economic status, status as an ex-offender, sexual orientation,
marital status or other irrelevant distinction.
2. UNIVERSITY MISSION, VALUES AND VALUED
BEHAVIOURS
The Mission of the University of Westminster is:
“to provide high quality higher education and research in
both national and international contexts for the intellectual,
social and professional development of the individual and for the
economic and cultural enrichment of London and wider
communities”.
The University works towards the achievement of this mission
within a set of core values which are shared throughout the
university community and which may be summarised in the following
way:
- we value and celebrate the diversity which is to be found
within the University and which reflects the diversity of both the
national and international contexts in which we work and in
particular the diversity of London as a 21st century cosmopolitan
city
- we seek to enhance and to widen access to higher education and
constantly strive to extend opportunities to participate in the
life of the university to everyone in the diverse national and
international communities we serve in order to advance their
intellectual, social and professional development
- we base all our inter-relationships at all levels of the
University community, both internally and externally, on mutual
respect for each other and seek to reflect that respect in the
manner in which we work and in the partnerships and the
collaborations we develop
- we emphasise high quality as an indispensable characteristic of
all that we do and we strive constantly to enhance that quality
across the University community
- we are committed to independence and freedom of thought and
expression and the encouragement of an informed, critical and
questioning spirit in the inter-related processes of learning,
teaching, scholarship, research and knowledge transfer
- we require all those within the University community constantly
to strive to act according to our ethical principles and to condemn
unethical practices of any sort as intolerable and
unacceptable
2.1 Valued Behaviours
The University’s mission, culture and values are underpinned by
a set of valued behaviours that we particularly encourage from all
members of the University community:
- embraces diversity and promotes equality
- demonstrates personal integrity and respect for human
dignity
- consistently demonstrates a commitment to enhancing the student
and staff experience
- is wholeheartedly committed to the success of our students and
staff
- demonstrates a commitment to high quality teaching and research
and to freedom of thought and expression
- demonstrates commitment to the continuous improvement in the
quality of services and processes
- demonstrates commitment to widening participation and lifelong
learning
- does not engage in behaviours that are associated with a “blame
culture”
- demonstrates awareness and commitment to the personal and
professional development of staff
- displays corporate social responsibility and commitment to
ethically sound behaviour and sustainability
- displays excellent communication, collaboration and team
working skills and responds effectively to change
3. LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The University has a legal responsibility to provide a healthy
and safe working environment that is free from unlawful
discrimination and harassment. There is a body of legislation that
refers to discrimination and harassment at work and under which the
University has legal obligations. This is covered in
Appendix 1.
4. HARASSMENT AND BULLYING
The University is strongly opposed to harassment and bullying in
any form and is committed to providing a working and studying
environment which is free from harassment and bullying and in which
the dignity of all members of the University is valued and
respected. The Diversity and Dignity at Work and Study Policy
underpins, and is inextricably linked to all the other equality and
diversity related policies. The policy covers the prevention of
harassment and bullying in the workplace. It aims to provide an
effective and timely remedy for unreasonable or unjustified
behaviour, but it is not intended to inhibit reasonable and
effective management of staff.
It is helpful to start with a definition of bullying and
harassment. Harassment is “unwanted conduct that violates
people’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading,
humiliating or offensive environment.”
Harassment and bullying both involve behaviour
which harms, intimidates, threatens, victimises, undermines,
offends, degrades or humiliates. However, there is an important
difference in that harassment is always linked to
anti-discrimination legislation and thus will focus on gender,
race, ethnic background, colour, religion or belief, sexual
orientation, age or disability. Harassment may be a single incident
or a series of incidents.
Bullying is repeated inappropriate behaviour, direct or indirect
and by one or more persons, which undermines an individual’s right
to dignity or creates an environment that is intimidating, hostile,
degrading, humiliating or offensive. It is generally psychological,
rarely though sometimes physical.
It is important to note that differences of attitude or culture
and mis-interpretation of social signals can mean that what is
perceived as harassment by one person may not be apparent to
another. Behaviour may be regarded as harassing if, having regard
to all the circumstances, including in particular the perception of
the person who is the subject of the harassment, it should
reasonably be considered as having that effect.
Harassment and bullying are completely unacceptable and will not
be tolerated at the University of Westminster. It is important to
keep in mind that bullying and harassment can be a source of great
stress to an individual. It may be so serious and unrelenting that
a person feels it necessary to change job or change course of
study.
4.1 Difference between bullying and robust
management
It is important to make the distinction between bullying and
robust management. Bullying by its nature is unfair and can
undermine a person’s best efforts to perform well; bullying
behaviour can be used by peers and subordinates as well as
managers. Robust management, on the other hand, may involve setting
demanding – but fair and achievable – targets and standards of
behaviour appropriate to a person’s job, grade, and level of
responsibility. It is also important for line managers to ensure
that when it is necessary to address poor performance, give
critical feedback, or take disciplinary action against a member of
staff or student, it is done fairly and constructively, and in full
accordance with the University’s procedures and guidance. To
reiterate, vigorous academic debate and legitimate and reasonable
management of staff performance must be distinguished from
bullying.
4.2 Some examples of bullying and
harassment
The following list provides some examples of behaviour which may
constitute bullying and harassment. The list is not exhaustive and
serves as an example only:
- Spreading malicious rumours or insulting someone
- Displaying offensive material publicly
- Ridiculing or demeaning someone, especially in front of
others
- Deliberately setting someone up to fail
- Overbearing supervision or other misuse of power or position
e.g. making threats about job security while seeking sexual
favours
- Unwanted physical contact including the invasion of personal
space and/or inappropriate touching, especially of a sexual
nature
- Making derogatory remarks, jokes, insults, offensive language,
gossip and slander in verbal and written communication, including
by email
- Aggressive physical behaviour, shouting at or threatening a
colleague
- Any conduct or behaviour on the grounds of race, gender, age,
religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability or any other
personal characteristic which is unwanted by the recipient and
discriminatory in nature
- Repeated unacceptable behaviour which a person has previously
objected to
The University is committed to providing effective mechanisms
for dealing with complaints of breaches of its Diversity and
Dignity at Work and Study Policy. Any complaints will be dealt with
promptly, fairly and appropriately. Making a genuine complaint will
not adversely affect a student's or a member of staff's prospects
at the University. Mechanisms are in place to bring forward and
address complaints at both formal and informal levels.
5. DIVERSITY AND DIGNITY AT WORK AND STUDY POLICY:
IMPLEMENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND MONITORING
ARRANGEMENTS
The University will carry out a wide consultation and engagement
exercise with all key stakeholders on the Diversity and Dignity at
Work and Study Policy. The University will widely disseminate and
publish this and other equality and diversity related policies and
make them available to all staff and students via the Diversity
section of the HR website and also on the Academic Registrar’s
website. This information will also be included in the University's
Essential Westminster Guide for Students, contracts of employment
and in course specific Student Handbooks.
The University will monitor and review its policies relating to
staff and students in respect of its recruitment, selection,
development and reward policies and systems to ensure that they are
non-discriminatory, either directly or indirectly, in accordance
with the Diversity and Dignity at Work and Study Policy.
The University will produce, disseminate widely and publish
annual equality and diversity monitoring reports. All equality and
diversity and other relevant policies will be required to be impact
assessed to ensure that they are inclusive and do not have an
adverse impact on any group. The University will offer relevant
equality and diversity training to all staff.
5.1 Responsibility of all members of the
University
It is the duty of all members of the University to comply with
both the letter and spirit of the Diversity and Dignity at Work and
Study Policy. In order to ensure that this Policy is put into
practice, individual members of the University:
- should seek actively to promote equality and diversity and
strive to create an environment which is inclusive and supportive
and free from any harassment and bullying;
- must not discriminate unfairly in the way they provide or
procure services on behalf of the University;
- must not discriminate unfairly if involved in the recruitment,
promotion and management of staff or the selection and supervision
of students;
- must neither practice unfair discrimination or harassment or
bullying nor encourage other staff or students to do so;
- must not victimise any person who has complained of harassment
or unfair discrimination, or who has given information in
connection with such a complaint.
5.2 Management Accountability and
Responsibility
The Vice Chancellor has designated the Human Resources (HR)
Director as the member of Senior Staff with overall responsibility
for the development, coordination, dissemination, and
implementation and monitoring of this Policy. The HR Director is
responsible for equality issues relating to staff and students.
Details of all the equality and diversity related policies,
procedures and support are available on the Diversity section of
the HR website.
The HR Manager - Equality & Diversity is responsible for
providing professional advice and guidance on equality and
diversity issues, monitoring the operation of HR policies relevant
to diversity issues with regards to University staff, advising and
developing policies and best practice in this area and managing
equality and diversity related projects and initiatives. All of the
University’s equality and diversity related policies and support
structures for staff can be found on the Diversity section of the
HR website. All the policies and codes of practice relating to
students can be found on the Academic Registrar’s website.
The Diversity Audit Group (DAG) will support the development of
the University’s equality and diversity related policies and have
overall responsibility for monitoring equality and diversity, with
a remit to consider the implementation of the policies for students
and staff of all kinds (academic, professional and support, full
time, part-time and at all grades and levels). The Vice-Chancellor,
or the Vice-Chancellor’s nominee, will chair the DAG if the
Vice-Chancellor is absent. The DAG will oversee annual monitoring
arrangements and be responsible for producing annual equal
opportunities and diversity monitoring reports covering both staff
and students, which will be submitted to the Vice-Chancellor’s
Executive Group and the Court of Governors for approval and action
as necessary, including wider publication of the main results.
Primary budget holders are responsible for ensuring that
strategic and staff development plans reflect the commitment of
resources and staff time to ensuring that due regard is given to
the promotion of race equality and diversity within the relevant
parts of the University, and to ensure that the necessary provision
for data collection and monitoring is available, and that staff or
students wishing to make a complaint have ready and discreet access
to confidential advice and support.
Deans of School/Heads of Unit have a specific duty to implement
the Policy in their Schools/Units and bring it to the attention of
staff and students; they have direct responsibility for ensuring
that their School/Unit operates in accordance with the Policy; for
example, this should include addressing any issues identified
through monitoring patterns of student admission and progression,
curriculum, methods of assessment, staff recruitment and promotion,
and priorities for staff development and research funding to ensure
that they reflect the University's inclusive approach to equality
and diversity. The effective implementation of the Diversity and
Dignity at Work and Study Policy is included as a standard issue of
address in the University's Validation and academic standards
monitoring procedures.
6. DIVERSITY AND DIGNITY AT WORK AND STUDY POLICY AND
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Training events and information sessions on disability
awareness, equality and diversity and successful recruitment and
selection are run regularly by the HR Development Unit. The
University has a programme of induction training for all new staff,
which includes successful completion of the Respect for People
Diversity programme and disability awareness training.
The University will provide relevant equality and diversity
training, which will include dignity at work and bullying and
harassment issues, for all staff. Members of recruitment and
selection panels are required to have attended the relevant
recruitment and selection training before they are involved in such
panels.
7. BREACH OF THE DIVERSITY AND DIGNITY AT WORK AND STUDY
POLICY
A breach of the Diversity and Dignity at Work and Study Policy
occurs when:-
- any member or prospective member of the University suffers
unjustified discrimination on one or more of the prohibited grounds
and the discrimination occurs on University premises or in relation
to University activities; or
- any individual as a member of the University (or in connection
with their membership of the University) engages in conduct or
activity which is contrary to the University’s Diversity and
Dignity at Work and Study Policy or which is likely to bring the
University into disrepute in relation to any equality and diversity
issues.
Discrimination in breach of this Policy includes direct
discrimination, indirect discrimination and victimisation.
The University may invoke disciplinary measures against any
member of the University who is found to have breached the
Diversity and Dignity at Work and Study Policy. Serious breach of
the Policy may result in the dismissal of a member of staff or the
expulsion of a student from the University. Such measures may be
taken as a result of a complaint, or on the University's own
initiative on the recommendation of the HR Director or the HR
Manager – Equality & Diversity or other relevant senior
professional.
8. PROCEDURES TO BE FOLLOWED IN THE EVENT OF A POSSIBLE
BREACH OF THE DIVERSITY AND DIGNITY AT WORK AND STUDY
POLICY
Full details of these procedures are available in Appendix
2.
9. MONITORING AND REVIEW
The effective implementation of this Policy will be monitored by
the Diversity Audit Group, which meets three times a year. This
Policy will be formally reviewed every three years.
Appendix 1
Appendix
2
Appendix
3