What do you do when you see or experience undesirable behaviour? It seems like a simple question, but in practice it is often complicated. With this campaign, we raise awareness and stimulate conversations about how we treat each other.
With recognisable – and at times confronting – quotes, the campaign highlights issues such as bullying, discrimination, and abuse of power. The quotes evoke recognition and reflection. For example: “I assumed it was fine, because she didn't cry.” or “I worry about the consequences if I speak up.”. The quotes represent recognisable situations that can occur within a university context.
A safe, inclusive university begins with awareness as well as a willingness to engage in conversation. Especially in environments where hierarchy and dependence may play a role, it is important to foster a culture where people feel free to discuss behaviour.
Visit ru.nl/socialsafety to find out what you can do if you witness or experience something. You can also read more about how you can contribute to an open, inclusive and respectful university.
The campaign is part of the Prevent Care Cure project, which focuses on structural improvements to social safety. Initiatives include organising training courses, establishing an independent contact point for signals and reports of transgressive behaviour, and improving annual appraisal interviews between managers and employees.
Social safety cannot be taken for granted — it requires commitment, courage and listening. With this campaign, we open the conversation. Will you join us?
As an employee, you play an important role in creating a safe and respectful working environment. To support you in this, we invite you to follow the social safety e-learning. This module helps you to better recognise signs of undesirable behaviour, provides practical tools for intervention and supports you in conducting open discussions with colleagues.
Do you have any questions or comments about the campaign or the social safety project? Send an e-mail to socialsafety [at] ru.nl (socialsafety[at]ru[dot]nl).