While working at Eastern Volunteers, everyone has the right to be dealt with fairly and with respect whether they be a volunteer, employee or contractor. Eastern Volunteers will not tolerate discrimination, bullying or harassment in any circumstance. These concepts are in many ways interlinked but can be understood separately too. Each has its own characteristics and are just as important in isolation as well as together.

In order for you to better understand what discrimination, bullying and harassment are, we will have a look at how these are defined and some examples using some publicly available videos.

Discrimination

Discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favourably than another because of a reason or ground which is prohibited by law. The prohibited grounds of discrimination are set out in the Federal, State and Territory anti-discrimination laws and include gender, race, age etc.  EV has legal obligations to abide by anti-discrimination laws and furthermore is committed to treating everyone fairly.

All people shall be treated fairly and shall have equal access to opportunity at EV based only on their skills, aptitude, and (where applicable) experience.

Please watch this video to learn more about your rights and responsibilities with respect to workplace discrimination

Harassment

Harassment is unwelcome conduct directed towards someone that a reasonable person would expect to offend, humiliate or intimidate. Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.

Harassment will not be tolerated at EV.

It’s important to be clear that harassment can occur even when it is not intended. Each person working at EV, whether they be a volunteer, employee or contractor has a direct responsibility to not conduct themselves in a way that offends, humiliates or intimidates others. Further, each person working at EV has a responsibility to ensure that they do not allow such behaviour to continue.

If you experience harassment or if you have seen a colleague experience harassment, please speak with your people leader.

Please watch this video to learn more about sexual harassment in the workplace. While the video is focused on sexual harassment specifically, please bear in mind that harassment can also take other forms, which leads us in to ….

Bullying

Workplace bullying is repeated, unreasonable behaviour by an individual or group of individuals, directed towards a worker or a group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety. It includes both physical and psychological risks and abuse.

Bullying can take many forms and can be explicit or subtle. Bullying will not be tolerated at EV. Some examples of bullying behaviours may include:

• abusive, insulting or offensive language or comments
• spreading misinformation or malicious rumours
• behaviour or language that frightens, humiliates, belittles or degrades, including over-criticising, or criticism that is delivered with yelling or screaming
• deliberately excluding or isolating a person from normal work activities

This is by no means an exhaustive list, nor would it be possible to write one. It is, however, important that everyone who works at EV understand that bullying behaviour is not acceptable.

Please watch this video to understand more about workplace bullying.

What you can do if you are impacted by discrimination, bullying or harassment.

There is no place for discrimination, harassment and bullying behaviours at EV. Everyone who comes to work at EV has the right to be treated fairly and with respect. The detail of EV’s Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying policy can be found on the Procedures section of our Sharepoint site.

If you are impacted by discrimination, bullying or harassment, you can:

• raise the matter with the individual who is behaving inappropriately if you feel comfortable doing so. It may be that the person who is behaving inappropriately is not aware of their behaviour and the impact it is having. While this does not excuse the behaviour, by discussing it with them and making them aware if the impact, they may change the way they behave.
• speak to your people leader, another manager, or the CEO.

If you see this behaviour impacting another team member at EV, you can:

• Respectfully raise the issue with the impacted individual, ask them if they are ok and ask if they would like to talk about it. Bear in mind that a person being subjected to bullying or harassment may not want any formal action taken. This does NOT mean that the behaviour is exusable and the matter should not be escalated. It DOES mean that any further action may not include a formal complaint.
• raise the matter with your people leader, another manager, or the CEO.

All instances will be handled in line with EV’s Grievance and Complaints policy.