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9
WQ.400/2019
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHAIR OF THE STATES EMPLOYMENT BOARD
BY DEPUTY C.S. ALVES OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 8th OCTOBER 2019
Question
What measures are put in place to inform employees of procedures relating to bullying and harassment; and what processes, if any, are in place that allow employees to go to Human Resources staff directly should they feel uncomfortable about going to their line manager?
Answer
The Deputy will recall the Report prepared by HR Lounge into issues of bullying and harassment within the Government of Jersey and that SEB accepted all of their recommendations. Subsequently a new bullying and harassment policy was published, effective from 21 January 2019.
This new policy calls on all employees to come forward and speak out if they witness inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. There are a number of ways that employees can do this;
- If the employee feels able to do so, they can approach the individual themselves to explain the situation and how it made them feel.
- If they do not comfortable doing this, they can report the issue to their line manager, HR business partner, or union representative.
- The policy has also introduced a further reporting option for employees, via an independent speak- up line, which is provided by a company called ExpoLink. The speak-up line is available 365 days a year, 24/7 and there are three secure methods of contact; by telephone, through Expolink's website, or by downloading their app to a smart device. The employee can also remain anonymous if they chose to use the speak-up line.
- Since January when the new policy was implemented there have been 25 incidents logged. Of these there have been 22 issues of bullying and harassment. We are seeing successful resolution through information measures, with only two cases requiring referral to the formal process.
To support the implementation of this new policy, a robust communication plan was executed, including internal communications to all staff, posters and screen savers, as well as a press release to local media.
A large number of face-to-face line manager briefing sessions were held to accommodate the organisation's 900 managers. Topics included in the sessions included, a comprehensive overview of the policy, the shift in culture required, and the importance of a swift resolution. They were held between January and June 2019 and took place across a variety of locations. After the session line managers were responsible for ensuring that the new bullying and harassment policy featured on the agenda of their next team meeting and they began discussions about acceptable behaviours in the workplace and how issues can be reported.
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