Dignity@Work for everyone
Wed, 06 Jan 2016 02:00:00 GMT
Most of us spend many years of our lives and many hours of each week at work. It makes a huge difference to our enjoyment and wellbeing if work can be a place where there is mutual respect and fair treatment so we are lucky to be in an organisation with strong HR policies and unionisation. However, with over 1,900 employees and ambitious, challenging targets, tensions and disputes between staff will inevitably occur. People rarely want to start formal processes if they can be avoided, but can feel daunted and isolated which is why we launched the Dignity@Work scheme, which has been running successfully since.
An open invitation to apply for this role was announced and Andrew, Joanne, Sarah and Richard (pictured) were trained and have been offering this service to colleagues since. All of their meetings are confidential, but Kirsteen Mitton and Janet Hargreaves are there to offer support if needed.
The aim of Dignity@Work is to offer a safe, confidential space where any member of staff can talk with an advisor. They are unbiased, neutral colleagues who will meet with victims of harassment and those accused of harassment. The aim is to facilitate informal resolution, wherever possible, in line with the policy.
Advisors see their role as enabling staff members to access information about Dignity@work, understand their rights and ultimately, how to find the help and support the University can provide to them. They help colleagues deal with difficult situations in their role, from those 'is it just me?' feelings which can be difficult to pin down or share with an immediate colleague through to more deep seated concerns, often finding a solution to get past the problem.
People who have used their help say they really appreciate the input, advice and independence of the support, and that they listen to and take on board the advice offered.
Sometimes just a listening ear is enough: for example one person who was in a difficult situation with a colleague at work put up with the issues at first thinking they had to wait until it was ‘bad enough’ to seek advice. The Advisor helped them to reflect and see the situation from a different point of view and this really helped work through the situation.
Any problem between colleagues, whether big or small, can affect the quality of our working lives, so we hope that the Dignity@work scheme helps avoid distress and gives colleagues a safe way of exploring the issues.
