59. Bullying and harassment

59.1.  The University is committed to ensuring that all staff are treated with integrity and respect, recognising all staff of ANU have the right to work in an environment free from harassment and bullying. Harassment and bullying behaviour will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

59.2. Workplace harassment or bullying is repeated inappropriate behaviour, direct or indirect, whether verbal, physical or otherwise, conducted by one or more persons against another or others, that a reasonable person would regard as undermining the individual's right to dignity through victimising, harming, humiliating, intimidating or threatening a person or persons, thereby creating a risk to health and safety.

59.3.  Bullying does not include any legitimate or reasonable use of performance management processes, lawfully based and fairly applied disciplinary action, allocation of work in compliance with systems, implementation of organisational change or downsizing, action taken to transfer or redeploy a staff member or a decision not to promote or reclassify the staff member.

59.4. A staff member who feels aggrieved by an action that may constitute workplace bullying or harassment is expected to raise the issue(s) with their supervisor, or the supervisor’s supervisor, as soon as practicable.

59.5. The University will provide fair and reasonable administrative practices and will provide information and training and help manage any incidents of workplace bullying, at a local level initially, in a fair and timely manner in line with the resolution of grievances process

59.6. Staff members are required to personally demonstrate appropriate behaviour in accordance with the University Code of Conduct; take reasonable care to ensure their own safety and health and avoid adversely affecting the safety and health of any other person through any act of workplace bullying or omission to deal with an act of bullying.

59.7. Should more than one staff member be aggrieved by the same or related actions that may constitute workplace bullying, these staff may choose to act as a group on this matter. Such a group complaint is an acceptable form of complaint and will be dealt with as a group complaint. This can include use of the employment-related resolution of grievance mechanism as a group mechanism.

59.8. Where mediation between the parties is attempted, it will normally be undertaken by a trained mediator external to the University.

59.9. When a formal complaint alleging bullying is made, the University shall take all reasonable steps to secure the health and wellbeing of both the complainant(s) and the respondent(s) throughout the process of resolving the complaint.