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dignity: harassment and discrimination
:
Reporting complaints
Introduction
The following section offers model guidelines for reporting complaints
of harassment or discrimination. It is recommended that Centers include
such guidelines in an appendix to their Personnel Policy Manual.
A flow chart of this process appears in Overview:
reporting complaints.
Initial reporting of complaint
1 These guidelines apply when a staff member
genuinely believes that she/he has been harassed or discriminated against
by:
- another staff member or
- a non-<Center> person (such as client, collaborator or service provider) while conducting <Center> business.
The staff member should first present her/his concern
to her/his supervisor and/or the HR Manager who can mediate the conflict
and/or provide advice and counsel.
2 The complaint should be handled on a strictly
confidential basis. Where the complaint is about a relatively minor
issue, staff members are encouraged to use informal means to resolve
problems, such as speaking or writing directly to the offender. The
HR Manager can advise on techniques for doing this. However, an informal
approach is not appropriate in serious cases of harassment or discrimination
(see list below of examples of relatively minor and serious issues).
3 All complaints will be fully documented
and recorded, and the records will be the property of <Center>.
The privacy of those involved will be respected.
Subsequent Action
4 When an informal approach fails to resolve
the issue satisfactorily or when the complaint is so serious that an informal
approach is not appropriate, complaints must be pursued through more formal
channels. Formal complaints will be dealt with rapidly, in the strictest
of confidence.
5 Where warranted, appropriate disciplinary
action will be taken against the offender.
Defining “relatively minor” or
“serious” cases of harassment
or discrimination
Examples of “relatively
minor” complaints
General harassment
• a single private tirade by a supervisor, subordinate or peer;
• a single, mild insult relating to personal or professional competence;
• a single insulting oral or written comment;
• a single epithet, slur or negative stereotyping directed at an
individual or a group, either directly or indirectly, perhaps intended
to be humorous.
Sexual harassment
• a single case of unwelcome offensive flirtation, suggestive remark,
innuendo or lewd comment;
• a single case of displaying suggestive pictures, screen savers,
objects or written materials; leering or making sexually suggestive gestures;
perhaps intended to be humorous.
Note: these examples are considered “relatively minor” where
the perpetrator is a colleague, i.e. a person of comparable rank. If the
perpetrator is a line manager, both these examples would be ranked as
“serious”.
Discrimination
There are no examples of discrimination that would be regarded as “relatively
minor”. Any example of discrimination
constitutes the basis for a serious complaint.
Examples of “serious”
complaints
General harassment
• two or more occurrences of oral or written comments, gestures
or physical actions which demean, belittle or cause public humiliation
or embarrassment;
• two or more private tirades by a supervisor, subordinate or peer;
or a public tirade;
• severe or repeated insults relating to personal or professional
competence;
• threatening oral or written comments;
• deliberate desecration of religious, racial, ethnic or national
symbols;
• malicious and false complaints of misconduct against other staff.
Sexual harassment
• assault or coerced sexual intercourse;
• unwanted contact, including touching, patting, pinching, kissing
or brushing against another person’s body;
• unwelcome sexual advances, offensive flirtations, suggestive remarks,
innuendos or lewd comments;
• propositions or pressure for sexual activity;
• continued suggestions for social activity outside the workplace
after it has been made clear that such activity is unwelcome;
• a case of displaying pornographic pictures/images, or two or more
cases of displaying suggestive pictures, screen savers, objects or written
materials;
• leering or making sexually suggestive gestures.
Discrimination
• denial of equal access to employment or career-development opportunities
on any grounds other than merit or performance;
• a decision made on a basis other than merit that affects the career of
a staff member, such as salary or grade setting, assignments or re-assignments,
performance evaluations, merit increases, promotions, rewards or recognition
Note: in this context, “merit” means the assessment of the
staff member on the basis of the full set of competencies – knowledge,
personal qualities and skills – required at staff member’s
current grade as well as prospective grade.
© CGIAR Gender & Diversity
Program 2006