The SFE - Doc 33 Chelmsford Fire Station
TALKTHROUGH
The Suffolk Fire Service Newsletter
September 1997 Issue 8
Harassment & Bullying
In recent years there have been a number of widely reported cases of racial harassment of employees by a third party or by service users
Many of you will have heard of the case of two waitresses employed by a hotel and who were subjected to racial abuse and harassment while working at a function at which Bernard Manning was a speaker; these two made a successful claim against their employer for racial discrimination. Similarly, and more recently, a Social Worker working in another authority, successfully claimed against her employer following racial abuse from one of her clients.
Finally, many readers will already be aware of the appalling case of Raymondo Jones who, at the age of only 16 years started his first job at the Tower Boot Company in 1992. After only 5 weeks at work he was forced to resign as a result of racial abuse and harassment from people who worked alongside him. During his brief time with the company, he had been burnt with a hot screwdriver, had his legs whipped, and had metal bolts thrown at him.
All of these cases are about race, but they could just as easily be about gender, sexual orientation, disability, appearance, physical stature, age, etc. Harassment of the kind described above can focus on anything which can be used to set the victim apart from the majority.
There has been a lot of publicity lately about bullying. For me, one of the key messages to come out of this has been that bullies rely on their targets adopting “victim” behaviour. In other words, people keep quiet, put up with things, become increasingly isolated, and think it must be their fault. Harassers are just the same; they too are bullies.
If you are experiencing harassment or bullying at work, tell someone. The Brigade, as your employer, has a responsibility towards you in this matter. I hope you will never experience anything like the awful things which happened to Raymondo Jones, but if someone you come into contact which at work is making you unhappy, do something about it. Tell someone. Get a copy of the County Council’s Procedure for Complaint’s of Harassment (available from Human resources or from County Personnel at County Hall). Speak to a Harassment adviser (telephone County Personnel on Ipswich 584076 for a list of names).
DON’T BE A VICTIM – SPEAK OUT
If you experience any form of harassment or abuse from a service user, you should report this on an accident or near miss report form, as an 2incident involving violence”. The behaviour complained about doesn’t have to be physical and can be on any grounds (i.e, not just racial or sexual harassment).
Sarah Davies (now Meelan)
Human Resources Manager (now 2005, at Suffolk College)
The Suffolk Fire Service Newsletter
September 1997 Issue 8
Harassment & Bullying
In recent years there have been a number of widely reported cases of racial harassment of employees by a third party or by service users
Many of you will have heard of the case of two waitresses employed by a hotel and who were subjected to racial abuse and harassment while working at a function at which Bernard Manning was a speaker; these two made a successful claim against their employer for racial discrimination. Similarly, and more recently, a Social Worker working in another authority, successfully claimed against her employer following racial abuse from one of her clients.
Finally, many readers will already be aware of the appalling case of Raymondo Jones who, at the age of only 16 years started his first job at the Tower Boot Company in 1992. After only 5 weeks at work he was forced to resign as a result of racial abuse and harassment from people who worked alongside him. During his brief time with the company, he had been burnt with a hot screwdriver, had his legs whipped, and had metal bolts thrown at him.
All of these cases are about race, but they could just as easily be about gender, sexual orientation, disability, appearance, physical stature, age, etc. Harassment of the kind described above can focus on anything which can be used to set the victim apart from the majority.
There has been a lot of publicity lately about bullying. For me, one of the key messages to come out of this has been that bullies rely on their targets adopting “victim” behaviour. In other words, people keep quiet, put up with things, become increasingly isolated, and think it must be their fault. Harassers are just the same; they too are bullies.
If you are experiencing harassment or bullying at work, tell someone. The Brigade, as your employer, has a responsibility towards you in this matter. I hope you will never experience anything like the awful things which happened to Raymondo Jones, but if someone you come into contact which at work is making you unhappy, do something about it. Tell someone. Get a copy of the County Council’s Procedure for Complaint’s of Harassment (available from Human resources or from County Personnel at County Hall). Speak to a Harassment adviser (telephone County Personnel on Ipswich 584076 for a list of names).
DON’T BE A VICTIM – SPEAK OUT
If you experience any form of harassment or abuse from a service user, you should report this on an accident or near miss report form, as an 2incident involving violence”. The behaviour complained about doesn’t have to be physical and can be on any grounds (i.e, not just racial or sexual harassment).
Sarah Davies (now Meelan)
Human Resources Manager (now 2005, at Suffolk College)
posted by Bert Blythburgh at 11:36 PM
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