Reporting concerns about other staff members
We want to build and sustain an inclusive working environment, where all colleagues feel safe, welcome and respected. Feeling able to speak up when we experience or witness behaviours that are unacceptable at work is critical to achieving this aim and we want to empower staff to take action for themselves to resolve issues wherever possible. It is also important that we fully understand the experience of our staff – the bad, as well as the good – so that we can tackle any issues effectively and ensure that everybody is intentionally inclusive and working against exclusion and discrimination.
We recognise that many people aren’t willing or able to speak up as they don’t feel safe and fear retaliation, or they do not believe that their experiences will be taken seriously.
Often simply having somebody validate your experience and acknowledge how you feel can give you the confidence to challenge these behaviours yourself. Having a constructive and purposeful conversation where you share your experiences confidentially with a colleague who is independent and impartial can be incredibly powerful and can provide you with the agency to take action yourself.
This is where a Stand Up Speak Out (SUSO) Advocate comes in. They are part of a specially trained network of staff who can support colleagues in identifying ways to address unacceptable behaviours they may experience or witness in the workplace.
Because they are not an ‘official’ reporting channel, colleagues can share their fears and concerns openly and candidly with a SUSO Advocate who can then talk through the various options available to them, including but not limited to taking informal action or making a formal complaint under the Acceptable Behaviour at Work Policy. Advocates do not retain the personal details of those seeking support but will track the nature of issues presented to enable us to identify and act upon patterns within that data.
It is important to note that the Advocate will act as a sounding board to discuss options only: the member of staff will need to take further action themselves as appropriate (for example, having an informal conversation with a Trades Union representative or seeking further advice from their HR Operations Team).
Reporting concerns about student behaviour
Members of staff who would like to report unacceptable behaviour from students can contact the Student Resolution Service directly by emailing srs-casework@bristol.ac.uk