Dignity at Work
The Eastman Dental Institute is dedicated to providing and maintaining a healthy, safe and enjoyable place to work for both staff and students.
All employees and students are entitled to:
- a workplace free from bullying, intimidation, harassment or victimisation
- be treated with dignity, respect and courtesy
- experience no form of unlawful discrimination
- be valued for their skills and abilities
All staff and students are responsible for their own actions and should respect colleagues across the UCL community.
Dignity at Work
We endorse the UCL-wide 'Dignity at Work' policy, which, together with support networks, protects staff and students from bullying, harassment and victimisation.
Inappropriate behaviour refers to actions that create (or potentially cause) risk to the business and/or the health of its employees, regardless of whether it was intentional or unintentional, verbal or written. Even malicious comments or actions made outside of the work environment, such as at work-related events or on social media, can incur UCL disciplinary procedures.
Managers are responsible for implementing and embedding good practice into the work culture; they should set standards and ensure that staff concerns are raised and dealt with accordingly.
All staff are responsible for appropriately challenging inappropriate behaviours and raising concerns with managers in a timely manner. Students are encouraged to do likewise. Support and advice is available for staff and students who experience or witness bullying, harassment or discrimination.
Our Pledge
The Institute pledges:
- Never to tolerate, condone or ignore sexual harassment of any kind.
- To educate students and staff about sexual harassment and why it's never ok.
- To support students and staff when they talk about, report or challenge sexual harassment . This includes making appropriate adjustments to ensure that those who have experienced sexual harassment or violence are supported in continuing their studies or work with as little disruption as possible.
- To actively challenge the culture within which sexual harassment happens.
Report + Support
We are committed to saying 'Full Stop' to bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct.
If you feel that you or someone else is being bullied, harassed, or is a victim of sexual misconduct, you can report it online either anonymously or report with contact details. This platform can be used by both staff and students.
Advisors and sources of support
We would hope that you felt safe enough to report this behaviour to your Line Manager / Supervisor, however, we understand that this can be hard and they may not be the most appropriate person. There are other advisors available within the Institute and UCL.
Please liaise with Nicola Phillips in the first instance, if you do not feel able to liaise with Nicola, you can go directly to our Human resources Business Partner (HRBP)
HR provides options for both informal resolution and formal procedures in reports of misconduct by staff members. HR cannot provide support if the reported party is a student (please refer to student casework team for reports involving student misconduct).
The University has a network of trained Dignity advisors who provide a confidential information service to staff and students on issues relating to bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct.
All Dignity advisors are volunteers who work in a variety of roles across campus and carry out this task in addition to their day jobs. Dignity advisors receive two full days of additional training on the Prevention of Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy. The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team manage this network and are available to support advisors where necessary.
If you feel you or someone you know is experiencing or has experienced bullying, harassment, sexual harassment or discrimination, you can contact an advisor and get support through the report section of this site. Dignity advisors are also available to any staff or students who have been accused of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment or discrimination.
Dignity advisors can:
- Offer confidential information on issues relating to harassment, bullying and sexual misconduct
- Listen to you without making any judgments about what you say
- Help you to clarify your thoughts about what is happening
- Explain the informal and formal procedures under the Dignity at Work and Study Policy
- Help you to explore the various options available to you
- Explain the mediation process and make a referral
- Help you to explore other sources of support which may be available to you
Dignity advisors cannot:
- Offer advice or solutions on what you should do
- Act as your advocate
- Make decisions on whether bullying or harassment has taken place
- Maintain confidentiality if they believe that there is a risk of harm to you or others
Crime prevention and personal safety advisor is a part of UCL security team who can provide both staff and students with advice and guidance if you have faced any criminal incidents like assault, theft, fraud or scams, domestic abuse or violence, online or in-person hate crime, online harassment or other digitally-facilitated abuse like spyware, stalking, etc.
Darren Watts is UCL's crime prevention and personal safety advisor and can be contacted directly by email (darren.watts@ucl.ac.uk) or by requesting crime prevention and personal safety advisor when you report with 'report with contact details' option on Report and Support.
Student support and wellbeing (SSW) are a team of experts that provide wellbeing, disability and mental health support in a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space, for all students at UCL. They also provide specialised support in form of psychological and counselling services, and can make referrals to external specialist support providers like Rape Crisis or Survivors UK for students who have experienced any form of sexual misconduct.
You can read about the different services SSW provide in detail on SSW website.
Student mediator is a senior member of staff who acts as an independent mediator for complaints by students involving staff or fellow students, especially when informal resolution has proven to be ineffective. They aim to arrive at a resolution between both the parties by enabling both parties to reach a mutually agreed decision in an impartial manner.
Dr. Ruth Siddall is UCL student mediator. She can be either contacted directly or through requesting student mediator when you report using 'report with contact details' option in report and support.
The Student Casework team, based in Student and Registry Services, is responsible for managing the Student Complaints Procedure and the Student Disciplinary Code and Procedure. They can advise students and staff across UCL on matters pertaining to the student casework policy and procedures of UCL.
If you wish to make a report about a student's behaviour in a way which may lead to formal disciplinary action, you can contact the Casework Team directly by emailing casework@ucl.ac.uk or through making a 'report with contact details' on Report & Support. The Casework Team will be able to advise you on the procedure and the options for your involvement in that process.
Mandatory Training
All staff must complete mandatory ‘Where do we Draw the Line’ harassment training.
This 2.5 hour online workshop begins with an introduction from the Head of Department, which ensures that it is discipline-specific and relevant to all participants.
The workshop offers departments the opportunity to undertake a collective analysis of the individual and contextual factors that might create and sustain a work environment in which harassment and bullying might occur. It aims to empower participants to work collaboratively to address this.
The HR Officer organises this training and will assign all new staff a slot. If you have not heard from the HR Officer, please get in touch so they can add you to the waiting list. We roll out training throughout the year.
