Subtle Forms of Discrimination
...on what they should do if they feel they are being harassed and/or victimised at work. This policy has been introduced after taking account of the suble forms of discrimination, fair employment, and recommendation on the protection of dignity of all employees at work. If harassment is the cause for a person leaving work it could constitute a form of constructive dismissal and as such an employee would have a right of redress under the Employment Rights (NI) Order 1996. In addition to the above legal remedies the Harassment (NI) Order 1997 has made harassment both a criminal offence and a civil tort. This policy will be subject to periodic review to ensure it is both effective in terms of resolving complaints and is in keeping with developments in this area. Carlos: If such a behavior was performed at work what would the National weather Service do about it? Tina: Ssubtle forms of discrimination can be resolved informally. Initially, people may prefer to attempt to resolve ssubtle forms of discrimination by informal means and this may be more appropriate where the alleged offender is a co-worker and where the offending behaviour is of a comparatively low level of severity. It should be noted that an individual is not obliged to try to resolve the matter informally. The employee should be advised that a formal investigation and possible formal disciplinary action can only take place if the complaint is investigated under the formal procedure and that a written record of the action taken will be made to assist with any formal proceedings which may arise if the behaviour does not stop. If informal action is considered an appropriate first response, then the individual who believes they have been harassed or discriminated against should ask the person responsible to stop the offending behaviour. If the individual does not wish to approach the person themselves, they may seek the assistance of the designated officer, line manager or member of the Personnel Department in doing so. Such a request should be polite but firm. If such a request fails to resolve the issue, the next stage is to raise the issue through the appropriate line manager structure. The Trust will, through the Director of Human Resources, appoint an investigating officer(s) who will carry out an investigation in order to establish the facts of the allegation and decide how the matter may be resolved. It is the policy of the Trust that officers who make a complaint in good faith should be protected from victimisation and every effort will be made to ensure that employees making complaints will not be victimised. Any complaint of victimisation will be dealt with promptly, seriously and in confidence subject to statutory requirements. Victimisation will result in disciplinary action and may warrant dismissal. Consideration should be given to a precautionary suspension on full normal pay of an individual against whom a complaint of subtle forms of discrimination has been made to enable investigations to proceed smoothly. An individu...