If you experience or witness unacceptable or transgressive behaviour, you should be aware that it cannot be tolerated in the workplace. Examples of unacceptable behaviour include:

• Unfair treatment;
• Bullying, tormenting, gossiping, exclusion and humiliation;
• Sexual harassment;
• Intimidation;
• Discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, political opinions or nationality;
• Aggression and violence.

The university encourages a culture where colleagues and students solve problems together by speaking with the person who displays the behaviour. If possible, engage in conversation with the other person if you feel there is still room to give feedback. Make it clear to them that you experience this behaviour as inappropriate or offensive. By giving feedback, you indicate your boundaries and give the other person a chance to improve their behaviour. If you experience the behaviour as transgressive, you should make it clear to the other person that their behaviour is unacceptable. Try to make arrangements together for the future.

These can be very challenging conversations. You can ask for assistance from your manager, an HR adviser or a confidential counsellor. The Let's Connect! toolkit contains articles, videos, training courses and discussion tools to facilitate open communication with one another. There are also specialised coaches who can help if there is friction within a team.

The interactive workshop The Active Bystander teaches you how to identify and challendge unacceptable behaviours. It provides practical tools to counter unacceptable conduct — including behaviour that has gradually become normalised over time. Bullying, (sexual) harassment, insults, and other forms of inappropriate behaviour contribute to a toxic culture. They can cause significant harm to individuals and lead to stress, anxiety, and mental health issues. Help create a safe and respectful work environment and sign up for the workshop today.

If you can’t find a solution yourself, it can be helpful to discuss your problems at work with your manager. The four competencies of the leadershipmodel within Leiden University can also serve as practical guidelines. 

When there are signs of unacceptable behaviour, a manager acts impartially and is tasked to support both you and other staff. Do the signs concern your own manager? You can find support via one of the other 'helplines'.

If it is not possible to discuss your problems at work with your manager, you can also contact one of the HR advisers. They offer a listening ear, can give process information, know what additional expertise is available (such as coaches, team coaches, training courses) and can call them in, if necessary.

A wide range of support is offered to help you carefully prepare and conduct a discussion about the unsafe situation you have experienced or witnessed. Just a few of the relevant training courses are listed below. If none of these seems appropriate, the HR adviser can look with you at the complete range of courses and help you to select one that meets your personal needs. 

• The active bystander
• Courageous conversations with my coworkers
• Dealing with transgressive behaviour
• Assertiveness training

If it is not possible to discuss your problems at work with your manager or HR adviser, you can also contact a confidential counsellor. There are several different confidential counsellors, each with their own area of expertise. Find out more about the confidential counsellors who are available, what they can (and can’t) do for you and what you can expect. You can contact a confidential counsellor directly.

Marjan van Dasselaar is the Staff Ombuds Officer. The Staff Ombuds Officer gives independent advice to the University on how the staff’s work environment can be made safer. Based on reports from within the organisation, the Ombuds Officer can decide to initiate an investigation of themes or problematic patterns, such as patterns of unacceptable behaviour, harassment, lack of integrity, racism and discrimination, transgressive behaviour. The Ombuds Officer will not provide assistance with your problem: this is what the confidential counsellors are for. The Ombuds Officer also does not handle complaints: this is the function of the complaints committees.