New handling of harassment – It should be easy to do the right thing, explains Gunilla Hellén, HR specialist in equal treatment at the Human Resources unit. She has led the effort to identify five areas on which the University of Gothenburg will focus in order to prevent sexual harassment. But the foundation is a well-functioning organisation with employees and students who feel safe and secure. IN SEPTEMBER last year, HR conducted the pilot study, The Road Ahead, a Strategy for Preventing Sexual Harassment, which has subsequently been discussed in the Strategy Council and in other contexts. Headed by Gunilla Hellén, HR then drafted a proposal on how to continue the work to prevent sexual harassment. The proposal was adopted by the Vice-Chancellor on June 4. – Among other things, we propose that equal treatment is integrated into health and safety, as it is already an established way of working with an annual cycle of surveys, analyses, implementations and follow-ups. Having parallel systems will just complicate matters, Gunilla Hellén explains. THE PROPOSAL emphasizes that a good working environment, where the equal dignity of all permeates the entire organisation, constitutes the foundation for achieving equal treatment. Furthermore, five areas are highlighted in terms of preventing sexual harassment.
It involves the statutory obligation to support the efforts to analyse risks in connection with sexual harassment. But it also involves creating a clear management system, says Gunilla Hellén. – New managers, in particular, must be informed of their responsibilities, and how we handle these matters. To support the managers, we are proposing that we produce an information package with checklists and other kinds of material that can be used for employee meetings and workshops. ANOTHER ITEM concerns how
equal treatment can be developed within the central and local health and safety committees. For example, it might entail extending the meeting hours to ensure that we have time to bring up equal treatment, and also improving transparency for employees and students. – We also highlight the role of the equal treatment representative, who is a resource for management in terms of drafting and implementing equal treatment throughout the organisation. It is important that their duties are not confused with those of the health and safety representatives, who represent the employees and, on occasion, act as a counterparty to the employer. The fifth item concerns anonymous reporting, explains Gunilla Hellén. – This is something that is always brought up when we talk about sexual harassment. On the one hand, it is difficult to defend yourself against an anonymous complaint, which in itself can be
perceived as a violation. On the other hand, we must of course take these type of complaints seriously, and not brush them under the carpet. Our proposal is to use a Norwegian model in which the person accused is given an opportunity to defend themselves while the person who filed the complaint is also listened to.
- With clear preventive equal treatment practices, our University can be even better, says Gunilla Hellén.
The goal is an organisation that employees and students can be proud of. GUNILLA HELLÉN
THIS AUTUMN, a formal process will be completed with a policy on the actions the University of Gothenburg will take when someone claims to have been subjected to discrimination, whether it is on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, belief, disability or age. The goal is an organisation that employees and students can be proud of, Gunilla Hellén states. – I believe that many people are already proud of their university. Many things work well, but with clear preventive equal treatment practices, the University of Gothenburg can be even better. Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Private
Facts The report, The Road Ahead, a Strategy for Preventing Sexual Harassment, forms the basis for the Vice-Chancellor’s decision on June 4 to adopt the report, Proposal on the continued efforts to prevent sexual harassment at the University of Gothenburg. This autumn, we will publish a process for handling discrimination.
GUJOURNAL SUMMER 2020
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