1. Purpose & Scope
Fight Nation Wrestling (FNW) is committed to providing a working environment for all its employees, where everybody is treated with dignity and respect and it is free from any form of harassment or bullying.
The policy applies to all FNW employees whether on or off work premises and at all levels and grades, in addition to consultants, contractors, casual workers and agency workers. The policy applies to the treatment of colleagues and all other people associated with the Company (visitors, customers, suppliers etc).
This policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment and FNW may amend it at any time.
2. Principles
2.1 All workers have the right to be treated with dignity and respect and work in an environment free from harassment and bullying.
2.2 All workers have a responsibility to treat their colleagues with dignity and respect, and to report any suspected acts of harassment or bullying.
2.3 Harassment and bullying will not be tolerated at FNW and disciplinary action will be taken where appropriate, or if by a third party, the appropriate external action will be taken.
2.4 All complaints of harassment or bullying will be taken seriously and dealt with promptly.
3. Policy
3.1 FNW will take all reasonable steps to ensure that no employees are subject to any form of harassment or bullying.
3.2 Harassment is defined as unwanted behaviour linked to a protected characteristic that violates someone’s dignity or creates an offensive environment for them. Protected characteristics are defined in the Equality Act 2010 as Sex, Gender Reassignment, Marriage or Civil Partnership, Pregnancy or Maternity, Race (including Ethnic or National Origin, Nationality or Colour), Disability, Sexual Orientation, Age, or Religion or Belief.
Harassment relating to a protected characteristic is unlawful and prohibited under the Equality Act 2010. Unlawful harassment may also involve conduct of a sexual nature (sexual harassment). However, FNW will not tolerate any form of harassment or bullying regardless of whether or not it is related to a protected characteristic or amounts to sexual harassment. It is also prohibited under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, which potentially makes it a criminal offence to pursue a course of conduct which you know or ought to know could constitute harassment.
Harassment is behaviour(s) or conduct, which has the purpose or effect of violating another person’s dignity; or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that person. A single incident can amount to harassment. Forms of harassment include (but are not limited to):
- Unwanted physical contact or conduct ranging from ‘brushing past’, pinching, pushing, grabbing and touching, to serious assault
- Verbal harassment through racist, sexist, homophobic or ageist jokes, or derogatory or stereotypical remarks about an ethnic or religious group or gender, offensive language, songs, gossip, slander or teasing
- Visual harassment through sending or displaying material that is pornographic or that some people may find offensive, including notes, drawings, flags, emblems, slogans and photographs, e-mail, text messages, social media content, graffiti, defacing possessions, obscene gestures.
- Sexual harassment includes flirting, gesturing or making sexual remarks about someone’s body, clothing or appearance, touching somebody against their will, asking questions about someone’s sex life, telling sexually offensive jokes, emailing, texting or messaging sexual content, displaying pornographic or sexual images on posters, calendars and cards, pressure for sexual favours, unwelcome sexual advances or suggestive behaviour (which the harasser may perceive as harmless).
- Victimisation – treating someone unfairly because they’ve complained about discrimination or harassment
- Intimidation through coercion, stand-over or gang behaviour, psychological pressure
- Exclusionary behaviour such as excluding or isolating people
- Intrusion by pestering, following etc.
- mocking, mimicking or belittling a person’s disability
- outing or threatening to out someone as gay or lesbian.
3.3 Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour involving the misuse of power that can make a person feel vulnerable, upset, humiliated, undermined or threatened. Power does not always mean being in a position of authority but can include both personal strength and the power to coerce through fear or intimidation.
Bullying can take the form of physical, verbal and non-verbal conduct. Bullying may include, by way of example:
- physical or psychological threats.
- overbearing and intimidating levels of supervision.
- inappropriate derogatory remarks about someone’s performance.
Whatever the form of harassment or bullying, a person may experience it if exposed to unwanted behaviour even if it is not done to someone’s face, is performed via social media or is not directed towards the affected recipient. For example, a person may be harassed by racist jokes about a different ethnic group if the jokes create an offensive environment. The list above is not exhaustive or exclusive.
FNW will not tolerate any form of harassment or bullying and all complaints will be taken seriously and dealt with promptly. If an employee is found to have carried out an act or acts of harassment or bullying, disciplinary action will be taken up to and including dismissal.
Please note the following points:
- some forms of harassment or bullying are considered unlawful and legal action could also be taken against the perpetrator.
- legitimate, reasonable and constructive criticism of a worker’s performance or behaviour, or reasonable instructions given to workers in the course of their employment will not normally amount to bullying or harassment.
Internal reporting method:
If an employee feels they have been subject to or witnessed any form of harassment, they should report it to the FNW Welfare Officer at the earliest opportunity. The complaint will then be investigated by the FNW management team. The complainant will be informed of the outcome of the investigation.
There may be occasions where an individual feels it is possible to try to resolve the issue informally by raising the matter directly with the person they feel is harassing/bullying them. If this approach does not work or is not appropriate, the individual is encouraged to make a formal complaint.