Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Bullying, Harassment, and Discrimination

Everyone who works and studies in the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition (SMMSN) will be treated with dignity and respect, and we encourage all members of our community to think about their interactions with others from this perspective. Inappropriate interpersonal behaviour, which includes bullying, harassment, and discrimination, can have a serious detrimental effect on the health, confidence, morale, and performance of those affected by it, and also on the working, learning and home environments. We have a shared responsibility to create and maintain a work and study environment with a culture where bullying, harassment and discrimination is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. This includes the ability of staff and students to challenge, where appropriate, or report any instances of unacceptable behaviour without fear of detriment or reprisal.

It can help to briefly think about the definitions of inappropriate behaviours.

Bullying occurs when a person engages in offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour which intentionally or unintentionally undermines, humiliates, denigrates or injures the recipient of the behaviour.

Harassment is defined by the Equality Act 2010 as “Unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual.”  It can be directed at an individual or a group of people.

Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of someone, because they have, or are perceived to have, protected characteristics as defined by, but not limited to, the Equality Act 2010. Discrimination can be direct or indirect.

The SMMSN Senior Leadership Team and EDI Committee makes a zero-tolerance promise to deal with all reported instances of bullying, harassment, and discrimination within the Institute.  In implementing this promise, we aim to:

1. encourage staff and students who have experienced or witnessed harassment, bullying and/or discrimination within SMMSN to come forward and report the inappropriate behaviour,
    
2. make it clear that any form of bullying, harassment and/or discrimination of others is unacceptable, and
    
3. ensure that reports of unacceptable behaviour are taken seriously and treated with sensitivity.  Issues will be responded to promptly and sensitively, and following thorough investigation, any appropriate action will be taken.

Through this promise we aim to stop bullying, harassment, and discrimination within SMMSN and to promote a healthier work and studying culture, where poor behaviour is less likely to occur.

If you are a member of staff and have experienced bullying, harassment, or discrimination we encourage you to talk to your line manager, if you feel comfortable so doing.  Alternatively, you can speak to the next level of management if this is more appropriate.

If you are a student and have experienced bullying, harassment, or discrimination, we encourage you to talk to your personal tutor or a student support advisor.  

The University also has a confidential Online Reporting Tool, for staff and students, which can be used to report these type of incidents.

The School recognises harassment as distinct from rigorous academic debate, which is characterised as being respectful, encouraging a variety of viewpoints, and having the effect of stimulating and encouraging thought and discussion.  Whilst staff and students will clearly hold a range of views on a variety of issues, they are expected to treat all members of the University community with dignity and respect, and ensure that the expression of their views is not manifested in such a way that creates an environment that is intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive to others.

The University of Aberdeen Student Advice & Support Team offers impartial and confidential advice and support on a range of issues, including personal, academic, money matters, disabilities and specific learning differences, mental health and wellbeing and more.

If you require support or wish to speak with a Student Support Adviser please email student.support@abdn.ac.uk to arrange an appointment. The team can offer you an appointment by telephone, Microsoft Teams or in person.

You can call 01224 273935 and leave a voice message and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. Students are also welcome to email the team with their contact details to request a call back.

British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact them directly by using contactSCOTLAND-BSL.

The University’s Disability Services team provides advice, information and practical study-related support to prospective and current students who have sensory and physical impairments, mental health conditions, long-term health conditions, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)/Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Dyslexia and other specific learning differences (SpLD), students who have a stammer, and students who have an Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). We are available to assist undergraduate, postgraduate, full time, part time and online distance learners.

The email contact for the University’s Disability Team can be found here.

Information provided by IT Services on assistive technology and provisions for students with disabilities at the University can be found here.

The Counselling Service located at 5 Dunbar Street is part of Student Support Services and is open to all students at the University. Counselling is a talking therapy which gives you the opportunity to explore with a qualified counsellor issues which are causing you concern or distress.

Find out more on the Employee Wellbeing section of the Staffnet here.

Details on support services for staff including contacts for HR can be found here

SMMSN Services

The email contact for the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition Student Support Team can be found here. They also offer impartial and confidential advice and support on a range of issues with a greater understanding of how the SMMSN works. They will be able to signpost you to different services for support of NHS Services. All staff and Healthcare students are able to self-refer or be referred to the Occupational Health Service for advice on health matters. You are encouraged to discuss any health problems relating to your work in the first instance with your Line Manager however the Occupational Health Service may be able to provide medical advice and assistance in situations where:

• You are concerned that some aspect of your job is making you ill
• You feel that you cannot perform at work to the best of your ability because of a health problem

We are committed to enhancing the student experience by listening to their opinions and implementing change to create an educational environment where EDI values are lived. We are aware of offensive and outdated terminology used by staff primarily due to unawareness which students may find triggering or uncomfortable, however we also acknowledge that it could also be context specific and hence we feel that the following talk from one of our students would provide some contemplation for our staff and students.

Any outdated or inappropriate language/terminologies in the classroom can be raised with the lecturer as it happens, however we understand it might not be convenient or feasible for the student to do that. In this case, students can report in confidence to by sending an email to smmsn.edi@abdn.ac.uk . When reporting, we ask that students are specific about the context and content. It is also important that students are explicit about the feedback they would like, to enable us to provide an effective response and provide support/training required to those it may concern.

A verbal/written warning on content by the lecturer in advance to the class would allow students to make informed and conscious choices on how they wish to access the content. It may be useful to signpost students to a relevant support service within the University if required.

Thomas Short - Is It Just Semantics? To watch the talk, please click here.

Policies, Frameworks & Strategies for Staff & Students

Discrimination, Harassment & Bullying

It is the responsibility of all members of staff to behave courteously and respectfully towards each other and to ensure that their behaviour does not cause unnecessary offence or upset. If you consider you have been the victim of bullying or harassment or wish to report an incident of bullying or harassment, you should use the Staffing Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace.

Flexible Working

The term 'flexible working' describes any working arrangement where the number of hours worked or the times that work is undertaken vary from standard practice. The University of Aberdeen is committed to engaging in constructive dialogue with members of staff wishing to explore the possibility of flexible working practices to:

• Help them achieve a better balance between home and work responsibilities
• Help them stay at work when circumstances might have prevented them doing so

Further details on flexible working can be found here.

Inclusivity & Accessibility in Education Framework

The Inclusivity and Accessibility in Education Framework draws together guidance, policies, resources, support and specialist training provided to staff and students, notably by the Disability Team, Assistive Technology, Training and Documentation and the Centre for Academic Development. Further details about the framework can be found here.

Leave

The University of Aberdeen is committed to supporting members of staff to help them balance the various demands of both their career and family lives. Additional assistance may be necessary to effectively manage your work/life balance at various stages in your life, and the University’s suite of Family Friendly Policies is designed to address such requirements. Details on Maternity, Paternity/Co-Maternity, Shared Parental, Adoption and other types of leave can be found here.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups

The Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme ensures that those who either have regular contact with vulnerable groups through the workplace, or who are otherwise in regulated work, do not have a history of inappropriate behaviour. It excludes people who are known to be unsuitable, on the basis of past behaviour, from working with children and/or protected adults and detects those who become unsuitable while in the workplace. Further details including the (PVG) policy can be found here.

Recruitment & Selection of Staff

The University's policy on the recruitment and selection of staff can be found here.

Redeployment

The University is committed to seeking to avoid staff redundancies. The procedure that will be followed to underpin the principles and processes for carrying collective and individual consultation regarding the avoidance of redundancy is outlined in the consultation on avoidance of redundancy policy, along with support mechanisms can be found here.

Religion & Belief Policy

This policy was updated to incorporate information about faith facilities and to include a preference for a 7-day notice period in relation to students requesting adjustments to teaching and learning due to religious observance. Further details can be found here: Policy and Guidance on Religion and Belief for Students

Staff Development

Staff development is here to support staff in their professional development at the University and plays a key role in the Human Resources Strategy. This includes a variety of programmes and workshops as well as our Coaching and Mentoring Schemes. Further details can be found here. 

Student Communication Policy

The University of Aberdeen is committed to ensuring that all students benefit from an excellent student experience and feel part of a supportive community during their studies and beyond. As the number of communication tools continue to increase, so do the challenges to effectively monitor and manage how we communicate with students effectively.

This policy has been developed in consultation with both staff and students and provides a clear articulation of the institution’s expectations around student communication. It sets out clear guidance for internal stakeholders, to help ensure that the right messages are being communicated at the right time and through the right channels for students. In addition, this policy outlines the channels available to communicate with students and how Communication Champions, who have been identified in each School, will assist in enforcing this policy. Further details can be found here.

Carer Support Fund for Conferences and Meetings

The School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition (SMMSN) recognises that many staff and Postgraduate Research students have caring responsibilities which can impact on their ability to travel to Scientific Conferences or other meetings important for career development. This may particularly affect early career staff and Postgraduate students.

The SMMSN Athena Swan Self Assessment team are therefore pleased to re-instate the Carer Support Fund which ran in our School between May 2015 and 2020. This fund is open to ALL staff (not only academics) who are in the early stages of their career (normally 5 years from the start of their career) and Postgraduate Research Students. The aim is to support people with caring responsibilities (including but not limited to childcare) to attend conferences and important meetings.

Award decisions will be based on eligibility and the justification provided by the applicant on their need for funds.

Guidance on eligibility, the type of costs that can be requested and an application form can be downloaded here.  If you have any queries, please contact Dr Asha VenkateshEDI and Athena Swan co-lead of SMMSN (a.venkatesh@abdn.ac.uk or smmsn.edi@abdn.ac.uk ).

Our School Race Champions are a point of contact for staff and students and will work closely with the Head of School to support the implementation of good practice in race equality within the School and will meet with the Head of School on a regular basis and will be members of the School Equality Committee to enable them to fulfil their role.

They will also interact with members of the University’s staff and student race networks.

• Aravinda Guntupalli

The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research. Established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment, the Charter is now being used across the globe to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women.

Information is available on the Advance HE website.

The School was awarded the Athena Swan Bronze award in January 2024, following submission of our Bronze application in late 2023. The award has been conferred on the School for five years, valid until January 2029. The Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team (SAT) will continue working to implement the ambitious action plan which was submitted as part of the application. The application may be found here: Athena Swan Nov 2023 Application

The School Equality Diversity and Inclusion committee has created a School Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2023-2027 that can be accessed here. This sets out the strategic approach of the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition (SMMSN) at the University of Aberdeen towards upholding the highest principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). The aim is to ensure that there is equality of opportunity for every member of staff and every student within the School and that the culture supports everyone to achieve their highest potential.

This is a school-level strategy document and is therefore intended to be part of the wider EDI Strategy of the University and to complement existing EDI related activities of the University.

If you require the School Strategy document in an alternative format, please contact the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team.

Purpose

Reporting to the School Executive, the School Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee supports the Head of School by ensuring the strategic oversight of equality, diversity & inclusion matters within the School.  It has responsibility for overseeing the implementation of institutional equality, diversity & inclusion-related policies within the School, including the development of School policies and practices to ensure the study and work environment for all students and staff is inclusive, tolerant and accessible. 

The Committee will work closely with the University Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, other School-level committees and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committees in other Schools on matters of common interest.

Remit

• To support the Head of School and School Executive in developing, monitoring and reviewing the implementation of institutional equality, diversity & inclusion-related policy and initiatives within the School, ensuring they align with the institution’s strategic ambitions and vision outlined in Aberdeen 2040 and the School strategic and operational plans;
• To develop, implement, monitor and continually enhance School-level strategic policies and practices in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion;
• To have oversight of the monitoring, review and enhancement of School equality, diversity & inclusion Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as outlined in the School’s strategic plan;
• To have oversight of equality, diversity & inclusion-related action plans and accreditation processes within the School, including (but not limited to) Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter;
• To encourage and promote understanding within the School of equality, diversity & inclusion- related issues across all protected characteristics, including mental health;
• To encourage, motivate and support School staff to engage in data gathering exercises to support the development, review and continual enhancement of institutional and School-level equality, diversity & inclusion-related policies and practices;
• To proactively contribute to the development of institutional equality, diversity & inclusion-related policies, including (i) considering their impact on School-level policy/practice and providing feedback accordingly and (ii) making recommendations to the School Executive in relation to implementation as appropriate and (iii) having oversight of School publicity, recruitment materials and social media outlets in the context of inclusion;
• To have oversight of the work of sub-committees and ad hoc task & finish groups relating to equality, diversity & inclusion activities, including receiving reports and considering recommendations as appropriate;
• To facilitate the effective 2-way flow of information between the School and University Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee and associated ad hoc working groups.

EDI – Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

AS – Athena Swan