Awell is committed to creating and maintaining a work environment in which people are treated with dignity, decency and respect, as reflected through our Values. The environment of our organization should be characterized by mutual trust and the absence of intimidation, oppression and exploitation. It should be a beacon of psychological safety. Awell will not permit or condone any form of bullying or harassment. Through enforcement of this policy and by education of employees, Awell will seek to prevent, correct and discipline behavior that violates this policy.
This policy covers bullying or harassment of or by anyone engaged to work at Awell, and also by third parties such as customers or suppliers. The policy encompasses bullying or harassment that occurs in the workplace, and also out of the workplace, such as on business trips or at work-related social events.
Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against any employee who violates this policy. Managers and supervisors who knowingly allow or tolerate discrimination, harassment, bullying or retaliation, including the failure to immediately report such misconduct, are in violation of this policy and subject to discipline.
This policy does not form part of your contract of employment, and we may amend it at any time.
Awell, in compliance with all applicable anti-discrimination and harassment laws and regulations, enforces this policy in accordance with the following definitions and guidelines:
Harassment is any unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that person. A single incident of this nature can amount to harassment if sufficiently serious.
Unlawful harassment may involve sexual harassment, or it may be related to any other of the Protected Characteristics detailed in our Diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I) (age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), sexual orientation, religion or belief and marital or civil partner status). Awell’s stance is that harassment is unacceptable, whether or not it is targeted at any of these categories.
Examples of harassment may include (but are not limited to) the following:
It is important to note that harassment occurs even if the harasser perceives his/her behavior as being harmless and without malice, or ‘just a bit of fun’. What matters is how the behavior makes the recipient feel, and not what the perpetrator’s intentions were. Also, a person may be harassed even if they were not the intended ‘target’ of the behavior.
Bullying is a sustained form of psychological abuse. It is defined as offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behavior, involving the abuse or misuse of power, which has the purpose or effect of belittling, humiliating or threatening the recipient.