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Guidelines for Harassment & Discrimination Support Officers

  1. Why these guidelines are important
  2. General principles to follow when advising on harassment and discrimination concerns, problems or complaints
  3. How to talk with someone who comes to you for advice or help
  4. Note-taking and record-keeping
  5. Where to go for advice
  6. Harassment & Discrimination Support Officer’s report

These guidelines provide you with more detailed information than you will find in the University’s Harassment and Discrimination Resolution Procedure. You should use these guidelines whenever you have to give advice about a harassment or discrimination problem, concern or complaint. They reinforce your training.

The University has a legal responsibility under anti-discrimination/equal opportunity laws and industrial relations legislation to resolve any harassment and discrimination problems, concerns and complaints as effectively and fairly as possible. Both the process the University follows and the decision made at the end of any investigation into a harassment or discrimination concern, problem or complaint could be challenged in the courts.

You are a very important part of the University’s process, as it is your role to help people get to the stage where they can attempt to deal with their concern, problem or complaint - either by tackling it themselves or by making use of the University’s Harassment and Discrimination Resolution Procedure. It is also your job to support people through the resolution process, if they want you to do so. It is therefore vital that you do your job well.

If you deliberately ignore the practical information contained in these guidelines, and/or do something in clear breach of these guidelines, you may be disciplined.

You must give advice about any harassment or discrimination concern, problem or complaint according to the following general principles:

  1. Confidentially - do not discuss the matter with anyone other than those directly involved in the complaint or its resolution. Do your best to prevent the people involved in the complaint from talking to anyone else (except the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution and anyone involved in providing them with formal support, counselling or legal advice). Any breach of confidentiality may be disciplined. It could also lead to someone being able to take out legal defamation proceedings against the person or people who breached confidentiality.
  2. Impartially (fairly) - all sides must get a fair chance to tell their side of the story. This means that you must not make any promises to the person about the actual outcome of any attempt to resolve the concern, problem or complaint, as you do not know the other person’s/people’s view of events. If the concern, problem or complaint is taken through the University’s Harassment and Discrimination Resolution Procedure, the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution, not you, will be in charge of making sure that each side gets a fair chance to tell their side of the story. They, not you, will be responsible for attempting to resolve the matter in the fairest possible way.
  3. Free of unfair repercussions or victimisation - if someone tells you that they are being victimised by someone else for coming forward with their concern, problem or complaint, or for helping to sort it out, make sure that they immediately report this to the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution or the Assistant Harassment and Discrimination Resolution Officer who is handling their matter. It will be that person’s job to do all they can to stop the victimisation and to recommend any disciplinary action against the victimiser(s). If the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution is not involved at this stage, you should do your best to make sure the person approaches them. If the complainant is not prepared to do this, then you should tell them that you will have to do this.
  4. Sensitively - treat all grievances sensitively. What may seem frivolous or laughable to you may be very serious for the person with the harassment or discrimination problem, concern or complaint.
  5. Fast - provide advice on all harassment and discrimination concerns, problems and complaints as soon as possible after you have been asked to do so. Note that the University’s Harassment and Discrimination Resolution Procedure lists time limits for the different stages involved in resolution.

Note that if you are approached by someone who is the ‘accused’ person (known as the ‘respondent’) in a harassment problem or complaint, you must not help them if you have already talked with the complainant. Instead, you must refer them to another Harassment & Discrimination Support Officer. The same applies if you are approached by the complainant and you have already talked with the respondent.When someone comes to you about a harassment or discrimination problem you must:

  1. find a private spot where you will not be interrupted;
  2. set aside enough time to listen properly to the person;
  3. listen sensitively and without judging or appearing to judge
  4. use an interpreter whenever necessary;
  5. ask if there are any witnesses, or any other evidence that supports what they have told you;
  6. tell them if what they are alleging has happened appears to contravene the University’s Harassment Prevention Policy or Discrimination Prevention Policy. For example, you might say ‘if what you’re saying is true, this type of behaviour is a (serious) breach of the University’s Harassment Prevention Policy’. If it does not appear to contravene the University’s Harassment Prevention Policy or its Discrimination Prevention Policy, advise them what else they can do, and/or where else they can go to sort out their problem;
  7. find out what they think will fix the problem; and
  8. give advice about their options for dealing with the discrimination or harassment:
    • can you empower them to deal with it themselves?
    • should you encourage them to go to the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution so that it can be resolved as quickly as possible? You may need to work through any fears they have about doing this. You may also need to explain the limits of your role - that you can not speak to the alleged harasser/discriminator and/or help mediate or investigate the problem or complaint - it is the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution who does this;
    • tell them where they can go for both internal and external confidential advice or support (for example, they may need an interpreter, a union, student association or other type of adviser or advocate, and/or a professional counsellor). Make sure they know how to contact anyone they might need to speak to and, if necessary, help arrange this;
  9. explain how the Harassment and Discrimination Resolution Procedure works (including the fact that they can not remain anonymous, and why this is so) and what outcomes are possible;
  10. tell them what records or notes you will keep, where they will be kept, and who else will get to see them. If necessary, explain why they should not be scared about this;
  11. if their problem or complaint involves something that is serious enough to jeopardise their or someone else’s health or safety, and you have not managed to persuade them to approach either the person causing the problem, or the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution, tell them that you must now alert the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution, who will talk confidentially with them and no-one else at this stage. Explain that this is because the University does not want anyone to get away with a serious breach of the Harassment Prevention Policy or the Discrimination Prevention Policy. The University wants to make sure that everyone can get on with their work and/or study without fear, victimisation or bullying;
  12. tell them that they must now keep their problem, concern or complaint confidential. They must only talk with people who are confidentially supporting or counselling them, or who are involved in sorting out the problem. Tell them that if they do speak with anyone else they may be disciplined. Find out who else knows already;
  13. explain that you can go with them, if they like, when they talk with the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution. Explain that you will be there for support only, not to advocate on their behalf. Make clear that it is not your job to resolve the problem - that is the job of the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution;
  14. explain that, if they like, you can provide them with ongoing support throughout the resolution process (including any related misconduct process). You can go with them – for support - to any interviews or meetings. You can also help make sure that the process is properly followed.
  1. decided to approach the person causing the problem and does not wish to speak to you again;
  2. decided to do nothing; or
  3. decided to approach the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution to have the matter resolved, and has no further need of your support;

If you need advice about how best to advise or support someone who comes to see you, or clarification of the steps in the Harassment and Discrimination Resolution Procedure, you can talk with any of the staff in the Staff and Student Equal Opportunity Unit. However, when you do this, you must take care to keep all the identifying details of the complainant, respondent, witnesses, their Departments/Sections, and so on, completely anonymous.

If you are concerned that someone’s health or safety might be at risk and you have not managed to persuade the complainant to take the matter up with the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution, you must talk with the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution. They will then decide whether to speak to the complainant. You should also speak to the Manager, Harassment and Discrimination Resolution if the complainant is being victimised for having spoken out about the harassment or discrimination.

If you need to debrief in a way that would reveal details of the people involved, or you need professional counselling as a result of handling a harassment or discrimination concern, problem or complaint, you should seek help from the University Counselling Service. It is not a breach of confidentiality to reveal any such information to professional counsellors.

Harassment & Discrimination Support Officer’s Report

Your name………………………………

1. Complainant’s problem, concern or complaint

Name of complainant:

Date of interview:

Interview started at:

Interview completed at:

Present at interview:

The facts as stated by complainant:

Feelings expressed by complainant (complete this as a way of helping to separate the emotional content from the facts):

What the complainant thinks will fix the problem or complaint:

What you advised the complainant:

What the complainant is going to do now:

2. The Respondent’s problem or complaint

(only to be completed where you are approached by this person and you are not already supporting the complainant)

Name of respondent:

Date of interview:

Interview started at:

Interview completed at:

Present at interview:

The facts as stated by the respondent:

Feelings expressed by the respondent (complete this as a way of helping to separate the emotional content from the facts):

What the respondent thinks will fix the problem or complaint:

What you advised the respondent:

What they are going to do now: