Zero tolerance policy

Our Zero Tolerance Policy – Dignity & Respect at work

Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust believes that all employees are entitled to work without being harassed or bullied and that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity.  This means we have a zero tolerance policy of violence,  harassment (personal and sexual),  racism, homophobia or general prejudice towards and between employees, volunteers, members, contractors, interns, work experience placements and apprentices.   

The Trust expects staff to take the time to ensure they understand what types of behaviour are unacceptable and considered to be harassment or bullying.  Employees must treat colleagues and others with dignity and respect and should always consider whether their words or conduct could be offensive. Even unintentional harassment or bullying is unacceptable.  

We will take allegations of harassment or bullying seriously and address them promptly and confidentially where possible. Harassment or bullying by an employee will be treated as misconduct under our Disciplinary Procedure. In some cases, it may amount to gross misconduct leading to summary dismissal.  This policy applies to situations arising during the course of any of our programmes and activities.  A breach of this policy will be treated as a disciplinary matter and may lead to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal if it is committed:

• in a work situation including work related social events
• against a colleague or other person connected to the employer outside of a work situation, including on social media. 
• against anyone outside of a work situation where the incident is relevant to their suitability to carry out their work role. 

We will take into account any aggravating factors, such as abuse of power over a more junior colleague, when deciding what disciplinary action to take.

We will support the delivery of the Trust’s Zero Tolerance policy by:

• Provide Briefings and Training on Harassment and Bullying: through our induction process and separate sessions we will offer training to enable staff to recognise, challenge (where appropriate) and report incidents 
• Monitoring and Reviewing Incidents: at the highest level in the organisation, incidents will be reviewed and addressed as swiftly as possible.
• Encouraging Active Report: raising awareness of harassment and bullying with staff and volunteers and encouraging and supporting the reporting of any incidents or concerns from right across our community – members, contractors, work experience placements or trainees.
• Promoting a Positive Culture: wellbeing activities and conversations that promote a positive and supportive culture across the organisation

Third party harassment

SRWT operates a zero-tolerance policy in relation to harassment perpetrated against one of our employees by a third party, such as a learner, business partner, member of the public
supplier or visitor to the organisation. All employees are encouraged to report any and all instances of harassment that involve a third party in line with our reporting procedure.