Anti-Bullying Week takes place between Monday 11 and 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 this 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 all forms of bullying and fostering an inclusive environment where every member of our diverse community feels a true sense of belonging. At Sussex, we strive to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, with respect and dignity, in a supportive atmosphere that empowers them to thrive in their work, learning and daily life.

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, there are 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 resources too, including a link to the report and support tool.
• 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.

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