SDU does not tolerate bullying, including sexual harassment, and no staff member should tolerate such behaviour towards themselves or colleagues. This applies regardless of whether the behaviour is intentional or the result of carelessness.
Unwanted sexual attention:
The Danish Working Environment Authority defines sexual harassment as “when one or more persons regularly and over an extended period – or repeatedly in a gross manner – subject one or more other persons to unwanted acts of a sexual nature, which the recipient perceives as offensive” (AT Guidance D.4.2).
Examples of unwanted sexual attention may include:
- Unwanted touching.
- Unwanted sexual advances.
- Unwanted obscene jokes.
- Unsolicited stories about one’s own sex life or sexual topics.
- Displaying pornographic images.
- Unwanted pornographic gifts (The Danish Working Environment Authority’s questionnaire on bullying and sexual harassment).
Sexual Harassment / Unwanted Sexual Attention
Unit (all staff):
- Shared responsibility to ensure well-being, care, and respectful communication.
- Speak up against unwanted sexual attention.
Health and Safety Group:
- Risk assessment (via Workplace Assessment (APV), work tasks, staff meetings).
- Incorporate preventive and corrective measures into the occupational health and safety action plan.
- Clear policy stating that unwanted sexual attention is unacceptable.
- Ensure that staff are aware of available courses of action.
Staff member:
- Contact your line manager (alternatively, contact your union representative, health and safety representative, or a trusted colleague).
- Union representative: focuses on employment rights.
- Health and safety representative: focuses on workplace well-being.
- Possible contact with the Danish Working Environment Authority’s hotline.
- Possible contact with SDU’s staff psychologist.
- Possible complaint via HR Services (Danish Public Administration Act, §7, subsection 1).
- Independent investigation and consultation of the parties involved.
- Possible report via your own GP as an occupational disease (if there has been long-term impact).
- Possible report to the police if covered by the provisions of the Danish Penal Code.
Colleague aware of the incident:
- Possible approach to the staff member concerned (shared responsibility to help the colleague bring the matter to the manager).
Management:
- Individual meetings with each party (and possibly together afterwards – note the possibility of having an adviser present).
- Avoid hasty decisions and maintain respect and discretion for all parties.
- Seek solutions with a non-punitive approach.
- Involve any witnesses.
- Offer support conversations (psychological first aid).
- Report the incident as a workplace accident via the Occupational Health and Safety Office if it has resulted in absence beyond the day of the incident (report no later than seven days after the incident).
- Offer rehabilitation in case of illness.
- Possible sanctions (warning, reassignment, dismissal).
- Provide support to any staff member who is wrongfully accused of offensive behaviour, as well as to witnesses of such behaviour.
- Involve the occupational health and safety organisation to prevent recurrence.
Health and Safety Group:
- Supports management and staff in an advisory capacity but does not handle case processing.
Bullying
“Bullying takes place between two or more people where there is an imbalance of power between the parties involved. The negative actions carried out are repeated and persistent. It is specifically the imbalance in the relationship between the parties that distinguishes bullying from conflicts and frustrations. The power relationship is not based on formal authority but on actual power. Thus, bullying of managers also occurs, where it is the employees who bully.” – The Danish Working Environment Authority
In situations involving bullying, it is often the case that, in addition to the “victim” and the “perpetrator”, there are also “witnesses”. These “witnesses” share responsibility as long as they do not intervene.
An important point is that it is the victim’s perception that is decisive. If the victim feels harassed or “bullied”, it constitutes harassment/bullying – even if the person responsible “did not mean it that way”.
Bullying
- 11.6% have been subjected to bullying and harassment.
- Seven out of ten have been bullied by colleagues.
- Three out of ten have been bullied by a manager (survey by the National Research Centre for the Working Environment).
Unit (all staff):
- Shared responsibility to ensure well-being, care, and respectful communication.
- A conscious personnel policy aimed at preventing and stopping bullying.
- Staff members (both victims and witnesses) must speak up against bullying and help change a culture in which bullying has become an “unhealthy” part of the workplace.
- Emphasis on the importance of focusing on “witnesses”, who play a crucial role.
- Ensure collegial support.
Health and Safety Group:
- Risk assessment (via Workplace Assessment (APV), work tasks, staff meetings).
- Incorporate preventive and corrective measures into the occupational health and safety action plan.
- Clear policy that bullying is not tolerated.
- Ensure that staff are aware of available courses of action, including the Danish Working Environment Authority’s Hotline on Bullying.
Staff member:
- Contact your line manager (alternatively, contact your union representative, health and safety representative, or a trusted colleague). If the manager is the “bully”, approach the next level up in the management chain.
- Union representative: ensures focus on employment rights.
- Health and safety representative: ensures focus on workplace well-being.
- Possible contact with the Danish Working Environment Authority’s Hotline on Bullying.
- Possible contact with SDU’s staff psychologist.
- Possible complaint via HR Services:
- Independent investigation and consultation of the parties involved.
- Possible report via your own GP as an occupational disease (in cases of long-term impact) – both psychological and/or physical attacks.
Colleague(s) aware of the incident:
- Possible approach to the staff member concerned (shared responsibility to help the colleague bring the matter to the manager).
Management:
- Individual meetings with each party (and possibly together afterwards – including with an adviser present if relevant).
- Avoid hasty decisions and maintain respect and discretion for all parties.
- Seek solutions with a non-punitive approach.
- Involve any witnesses.
- Ensure collegial support.
- Offer support conversations (psychological first aid), possibly including guidance on personal techniques for handling situations involving offensive behaviour.
- Report the incident as a workplace accident via the Occupational Health and Safety Office if it has resulted in absence beyond the day of the incident (report no later than seven days after the incident).
- Offer rehabilitation in case of illness.
- Possible sanctions (warning, reassignment, dismissal).
- Provide support to any staff member who is wrongfully accused of offensive behaviour/bullying, as well as to witnesses of such behaviour.
- Possible involvement of the Danish Penal Code or the Act on Prohibition of Discrimination on the Labour Market, if relevant.
- Involve the occupational health and safety organisation to prevent recurrence.
Health and Safety Group:
- Supports management and staff.
- May provide advice if needed.