Contingency Plan - Actions against bullying, sexual harassment, gender-based harassment and violence at RU
Introduction and purpose
This contingency plan is established based on Act no. 46/1980 on facilities, hygiene and safety at workplaces and regulation no. 1009/2015 on actions against bullying, sexual harassment, gender-based harassment and violence in the workplace. This contingency plan applies to all Reykjavík University students who believe they have been subjected to bullying, gender-based or sexual harassment and/or violence ("EKKO") related to Reykjavík University's activities and operations, whether by an employee, a student or a contractor working for the university.
Employees and students shall treat each other with respect and in accordance with the RU Code of Ethics. Bullying, gender-based or sexual harassment is not tolerated at Reykjavik University. Responses to such incidents shall be following this strategy.
The Reykjavík University's code of conduct emphasizes the well-being of staff and students, mutual respect, tolerance and support. The contingency plan is a further implementation of that official policy and applies to all students and staff of RU. Bullying and other forms of harassment, such as gender-based and sexual harassment, are not tolerated.
Disagreements due to projects and tasks, different opinions or different interests are not considered inappropriate behaviour in the sense of the contingency plan. Still, if such disagreement escalates without intervention, it can lead to bullying, harassment and/or violence. This policy could cover inappropriate behaviour, e.g., any discrimination based on prejudice.
Definitions
Bullying: Repetitive behaviour that generally tends to cause discomfort to the person who is exposed to it, such as belittling, insulting, hurting or threatening the person or causing them fear. Differences of opinion or differences due to different interests are not covered here.
Violence: Any conduct that results, or may result, in physical or psychological harm or suffering to the victim, including the threat of such coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty.
Sexual harassment: Any unfair and/or insulting sexual behaviour which is unwelcome and impairs the self-respect of the person affected by it and which is continued despite a clear indication given that it is unwelcome. This harassment may be physical, verbal or symbolic. A single instance may be considered sexual harassment if it is serious.
Gender-based harassment: Any unfair and/or insulting behaviour which is connected with the gender of the person affected by it is unwelcome and impairs the self-respect of the person affected by it, and which is continued despite a clear indication given that it is unwelcome. This harassment may be physical, verbal or symbolic. A single instance may be considered gender-based harassment if it is serious.
Professional council
The Executive Council of RU appoints a professional council whose role is to handle incident reporting, notifications and complaints about the above-mentioned violations within RU, investigate notifications, provide feedback on issues and make recommendations for improvements.
The professional council consists of two external parties, a lawyer and a psychologist, with RU's equality representative, a representative from RU's study and career counselling and a representative from RU's human resources department if the matter is related to RU staff. Efforts should be made to maintain an equal gender ratio in the professional council, and each member must meet strict qualifications.
Incident Reporting and Notifications
- Students can always contact the faculty office, the directors of study lines or the university president.
- Those who believe they have been violated can also apply directly to the RU professional council email address or RUs lawyer: Margrét Hrönn Þóroddsdóttir (margretth@ru.is).
- Others who receive notifications regarding violations should refer the matter to the RU professional council via email or directly to the RU equality representative.
- Witnesses to violations can contact the RU professional council, the RU equality representative, directors of study programmes, or the university president.
RU professional council
- Professional council's external lawyer: Sigurður Freyr Sigurðsson from Land lögmenn (sfs@landlogmenn.is)
- Professional council's external psychologist: Bryndís Einarsdóttir from Líf og sál (bryndis@lifogsal.is)
- RUs lawyer: Margrét Hrönn Þóroddsdóttir (margretth@ru.is)
- Representative of RUs study and career counselling and psychological services: Gréta Matthíasdóttir (gretam@ru.is)
- Representative of RUs human resources department: Ester Gústavsdóttir (esterg@ru.is)
Procedure
Once the professional council has received the notification, this response plan must be activated within five working days.
Items that must be ensured in the treatment of all cases:
- The professional council and the parties to the case must record and store all related data. If the complaint is verbal, it must be written down. To facilitate the processing of cases, the parties to a case are encouraged to record the incident and behaviour in question. The time and date, the names of those present and the circumstances when the incident occurred or occurred should be recorded. All cases are handled according to the Act on Personal Protection and Processing of Personal Information no. 90/2018.
- It must be ensured that the victim's situation during the procedure is such that the victim is not further exposed, enjoys support and feels safe within RU. Transferring the victim of a case within the university is not permitted to study/work elsewhere unless the person concerned so wishes.
- The parties' need for assistance in the form of psychological aid or counselling shall be assessed.
- HR staff and others who work on a specific case must respect confidentiality and personal protection and may only discuss the issue with those involved.
- All actions taken in the process of a case should be in consultation with the victim.
Case Process
- The professional council invites the victim to a meeting, reviews the reason for the notification, and assesses the case's progress. The victim should then be offered assistance if appropriate.
- The professional council contacts the alleged perpetrator in the case and invites them to a meeting where the person can express his views. The alleged perpetrator must then be offered assistance if appropriate.
- If a notification or an incident report is received from someone other than the victim, the professional council invites that party to a meeting. If it may be a criminal act, the victim is encouraged to contact the police.
- After the interviews, the professional council decides whether to take the case to formal or informal proceedings.
- Informal proceedings involve talking to the parties to a case and providing them with support through confidential conversations or advice and proposals to solve the problem. Others are not informed about the matter. The case is recorded so that it can be followed up. An issue only goes to an informal channel if the victim so wishes.
- If a case is taken up for formal proceedings, further investigation should occur through extensive conversations with parties familiar with the matter. The professional council gets access to the data related to the case in the RU archives.
- The professional council sends its decision in writing to the dean of the relevant department and the university president in the case of informal and formal proceedings. If the team believes there has been a violation, the professional council submits a proposal for a response to the relevant dean and university president, who make further decisions.
Resources
If a violation is considered to have been committed, the following remedies may be regarded as, among others:
- A solution-oriented way for the victim and the perpetrator, e.g., through interviews.
- Conciliation meetings.
- Formal reprimand of the perpetrator.
- Temporary or permanent removal of the perpetrator if a warning is not acted upon or other measures have not been effective. In severe cases, dismissal may occur without notice.
Responses to violations are determined by the university president and dean or chair of the relevant faculty/department, who are authorized to work with staff and students with various resources, give a warning or suspend work/study.
All cases will be followed up with the parties involved, and an assessment will be made as to whether the behaviour has continued in any form. Follow-up is the responsibility of the person who decides on remedies. It is assumed that the follow-up will occur about six weeks after the professional council has returned the results to the dean and the university president.
Liability and Audit
The university president is responsible for implementing this contingency plan as it is official policy. Directors and chairs of departments/divisions are also responsible for ensuring that all provisions of the contingency plan are enforced. The contingency plan should be presented to all students and staff.
The plan is evaluated and revised every two years. Tips and suggestions regarding the plan should be communicated to the equality representative of RU.
Employees and students shall treat each other respectfully per the RU Code of Ethics. Any bullying, gender-based or sexual harassment is not tolerated at Reykjavik University. Responses to such incidents shall be following this policy.
These rules were set in October 2012
Revised and approved in March 2019
Revised and approved in May 2023
