bullying/harassment by email - what does your contract of employment or HR manual say about appropriate professional behaviour?

[edam]

Hello would be grateful for any help on this. Thankfully it's not me but a very good friend. I am now self-employed so don't have an office manual but recall that everywhere I've worked has something in the general rules about appropriate behaviour, bullying and harassment. No personal attacks kind of thing.

Can anyone point me to a model contract of employment/HR guidelines thingy that spells out that you musn't make personal attacks, bully or harass colleagues?

My friend has received a series of emails from a colleague that are vicious personal attacks - on her competence at work, basically. All lies, of course, but it would be VERY helpful if anyone had an HR guideline she could look at. She's working in a start-up and they haven't yet got anything in place. (It's voluntary sector if that makes any difference.)

Would be very grateful indeed.

"We regard harassment of any kind as unacceptable and it can result in disciplinary action. You should always consider whether your actions could
be inappropriate or offensive to others.
Harassment occurs where a person is subjected to unwanted conduct which has the purpose (intentionally) or effect (unintentionally) of violating that
person's dignity; or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual.
Where no intent can be established, the unwanted conduct will be regarded as harassment if that could be regarded as a reasonable conclusion
when taking all the circumstances into account, including, in particular, the perception of the person who has been harassed"

There are also some specific examples (none concerning emails - I guess because you wouldn't think anyone would be so daft as to leave a trail.

www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=797

Her employers have a duty of care to look after her and once she has raised it with her manager then it is their responsibility to deal with it. The fact that she has emails to prove it should make it clear. She should talk directly to her manager and they can then sort this idiot out.

www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=797

Her employers have a duty of care to look after her and once she has raised it with her manager then it is their responsibility to deal with it. The fact that she has emails to prove it should make it clear. She should talk directly to her manager and they can then sort this idiot out.

Thank you, Squiffy and Tomato, that is very helpful!

Complicating factors are. a she's a contractor, not an employee (but I still think it's unacceptable to treat anyone in the workplace in that manner, whatever their employment status) and b. I'm involved in this organisation ? as a volunteer but at a fairly senior level.

The bully is a senior officer. Both the person affected and I have tried to raise this with the bully - in a constructive, reasonable, informal manner. Bully responded to attempts to sort this with further vicious emails. So we went to the Chair. He tried to brush it off and pretend it's a personality clash. Doesn't really want to be bothered.

Aarrrggh! This is a bunch of professional people used to working at senior levels who are all signed up to doing Good Things. FGS.

If the Chair isn't interested in dealing with it, will finding some wording to put in a contract or handbook or whatever actually help your friend much?

I don't know, tbh, but I think apart from the individual case, it's brought up the issue that we just don't have anything in place. We do have a Code of Conduct, but it doesn't mention bullying and the person responsible doesn't seem to realise it applies to him or applies in these circumstances.