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Academic and Professional Staff 2014 Contact
 
Monash University

57. WORKPLACE BULLYING

57.1 Workplace bullying is repeated unreasonable behaviour directed towards a staff member or student, or group of staff members or group of students, that creates a risk to health and safety. The University is committed to ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, that such behaviour does not occur and staff shall co-operate with the University and comply with all reasonable directions of the University directed at preventing or responding to or minimising the risk of workplace bullying. Where a formal complaint of bullying is made and that complaint has not previously been dealt with or the substance of the complaint is not presently being dealt with under some other grievance or complaint process or procedure, then the University will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that its preliminary inquiries into any alleged bullying are conducted carefully, thoroughly and fairly, in a timely manner. Where it is determined on the basis of those preliminary inquiries that a formal investigation of the alleged bullying is required, that investigation will be undertaken by an independent external investigator appointed by the University. Vexatious complaints or complaints that are demonstrated to be knowingly false can be the subject of disciplinary action.

57.2 Bullying does not include any legitimate or reasonable use of performance management processes, lawfully based and fairly applied disciplinary action, allocation of work in compliance with systems, implementation of organisational change or downsizing, action taken to transfer or redeploy a staff member or a decision not to promote or reclassify the staff member.

57.3 Every formal complaint of bullying that is made to the University, shall be treated as an OHS issue and statistically reported upon to the local OHS Committee and to the OHSPC.

57.4 When a formal complaint of bullying is made, the University shall take all reasonably practicable steps to secure the health and wellbeing of both the complainant and the respondent throughout the process of investigating the complaint.