Definitions: Harassment, Sexual Harassment & Bullying

According to the UCC Duty of Respect and Right to Dignity Policy:

Harassment is any form of unwanted conduct related to any of the discriminatory grounds, if the conduct has the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the person.  The discriminatory grounds, for the purposes of legislation are gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community*.

Common harassing behaviour includes, but is not limited to:

• Unwelcome physical contact
• Inappropriate looks, comments or suggestions
• Interfering with or damage to property
• Threats or extortion
• Comments, gestures, jokes or displaying or circulating offensive material
• Hostile attitudes, practices or structures which discriminate against an individual or group of person

Sexual harassment is similarly defined as any form of unwanted verbal, non verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, if the conduct has the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the person.

Common sexual harassing behaviour includes, but is not limited to:

• Verbal or physical advances
• Requesting sexual favours
• Asking about someone's sexual preferences, fantasies or activities
• Repeatedly asking for a date after someone has expressed lack of interest
• Unwelcome patting, hugging or touching someone's body, hair or clothing
• Making comments, jokes, sexual innuendo, displaying or circulating offensive material or computer pornography
• Making suggestive or sexual gestures, movements or facial expressions
• Making disparaging remarks to someone about their gender or body

Bullying, whilst not defined in legislation, can have serious effects on the health and welfare of recipients and is therefore regarded as a workplace risk and legislated for under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act. The Health and Safety Authority defines bullying as repeated inappropriate behaviour, direct or indirect, whether verbal, physical or otherwise, conducted by one or more persons against another or others, at the place of work and/or in the course of employment, which could reasonably be regarded as undermining the individual's right to dignity at work.  An isolated incident of the behaviour described in this definition may be an affront to dignity at work, but as a once off incident is not considered to be bullying. Many conflicts and interpersonal difficulties should be dealt with through appropriate industrial relations and complaint channels.

Common bullying behaviour includes, but is not limited to

• Unreasonably blocking someone's progress or advancement
• Persistent picking on someone
• Manipulation of someones reputation
• Manipulating the nature of someone's work or the ability of someone to do their work (e.g. overloading, withholding information, setting meaningless tasks)
• Social exclusion or isolation
• Constant criticism, preventing someone from speaking, shouting, public reprimands, rages over trivialities or insults
• Unwanted physical contact, physical abuse or threats of abuse to an individual or an individual's property
• Undermining an individual's work or self-esteem

For more information go to UCC Policies and Procedures.

Gender: A man, a woman or a transsexual person (specific protection is provided for pregnant employees or in relation to maternity leave);

Civil status: Single, married, separated, divorced or widowed;

Family status: A parent of a person under 18 years or the resident primary carer or a parent of a person with a disability;

Sexual orientation: Gay, lesbian, bisexual or heterosexual;

Religion: Different religious belief, background, outlook or none;

Age: This applies to all ages above the maximum age at which a person is statutorily obliged to attend school;

Disability: This is broadly defined including people with physical, intellectual, learning, cognitive or emotional disabilities and a range of medical conditions;

Race: A particular race, skin colour, nationality or ethnic origin;

Membership of the Traveller community: People who are commonly called Travellers, who are identified both by Travellers and others as people with a shared history, culture and traditions, identified historically as a nomadic way of life on the island of Ireland.