Bullying and harassment
Bullying and harassment are not acceptable at King’s. They can happen in person or online, and can affect anyone in our community.
It is not always easy to know whether something is bullying or harassment, particularly if you are experiencing it yourself. You do not need to be certain about what to call your experience before seeking support or making a report.
What is bullying?
Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour that involves the misuse of power and can make someone feel vulnerable, upset, humiliated, undermined or threatened.
Power does not always mean being in a position of authority. It can also come from someone's personal strength, influence, status or ability to coerce others through fear or intimidation.
Bullying can be physical, verbal or non-verbal and can happen in person or through digital spaces, including social media.
Examples of bullying may include:
- Shouting at, ridiculing, belittling or demeaning someone.
- Making physical or psychological threats.
- Deliberately excluding someone from meetings, communications or activities without good reason.
- Using a position of authority or influence to intimidate or undermine someone.
- Repeatedly making inappropriate or derogatory comments about someone's performance or abilities.
- Using social media or other digital platforms to intimidate, humiliate or target someone.
What is harassment?
Harassment is unwanted behaviour related to a protected characteristic that has the purpose or effect of violating someone's dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.
Harassment can be physical, verbal or non-verbal. It can be intentional or unintentional, but the impact of the behaviour can still mean that it constitutes harassment.
Protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 include age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
At King’s, we believe that behaviour can be unacceptable and harmful even when it does not relate to a protected characteristic.
Examples of harassment may include:
- Unwanted physical contact, including touching, pushing, grabbing, brushing against someone or invading their personal space.
- Offensive, intimidating or inappropriate comments, gestures, jokes or pranks.
- Mocking, mimicking or belittling someone's disability.
- Racist, sexist, homophobic or ageist jokes, or derogatory or stereotypical comments about a particular group.
- Outing, or threatening to out, someone as gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans.
- Deliberately ignoring, shunning or excluding someone from a conversation, social activity or other setting.
- Behaviour that creates an offensive or intimidating environment, even where the behaviour was not directed at the person affected.
Bullying and harassment can overlap
Bullying and harassment are not always separate or easily distinguishable. The same behaviour may be both bullying and harassment, and repeated or targeted behaviour can become increasingly harmful over time.
You do not need to decide whether what you have experienced is technically bullying or harassment before seeking support or making a report. If you are concerned about someone's behaviour or the way you have been treated, you can tell us what has happened and we can help you understand your options.
Getting support or making a report
If you have experienced or witnessed bullying or harassment, you can make a report through Report + Support.
You can make a named report if you would like someone to contact you about what has happened and discuss the support or options available to you.
You can also make an anonymous report. This can help King’s identify patterns or multiple reports about similar behaviour or concerns in a particular area, although it may limit what action we can take in relation to your individual experience.
You do not have to make a report to access support. If you would like support, you can make a named report and let us know that you are reporting because you would like support. Your report can be triaged to the appropriate support service, who can talk to you about your options and help you decide what you would like to do next.
King’s is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment for all members of our community. This includes protecting students, staff and visitors, both on our campuses and in our digital spaces, from bullying, harassment, sexual misconduct and behaviour that restricts free speech or academic freedom.