Radboud University
Social safety is a requirement for well-being, good collaborations, quality of research & education, and (academic) integrity. To Radboud University, social safety consists of a safe environment in which collegiality, equality, sincerity and atentiveness are important. Students and employees can be who they are and treat eachother with respect, irregardless of role or function or other differences. We aim to create a socially safe working and studying environment for everyone.
Undesirable behaviour consists of behaviour that hinders you in your work or studies. Examples are always interrupting and implicit exclusion, such as not greeting someone. In the first instance, you decide what is undesirable. What is undesirable for one person may not be so for another. The perpetrator may not be aware of the effect of the behaviour. That is why giving constructive feedback is important.
When behaviour crosses the line of human dignity, this is considered transgressive behaviour. Radboud University takes action against inappropriate behaviour such as bullying, gossiping, discrimination, (sexual) intimidation, and abuse of a position of power or relationship of dependence. We therefore ask you to report this.
We strive for an open culture, in which we can identify unwanted behaviour, dare to speak to people who misbehave and inform our managers if we experience unwanted behaviour ourselves or see others being exposed to it. Managers must take this information seriously and take appropriate action and are offered training for this. Unfortunately, we see that the threshold for reporting behaviour is often perceived as very high. In recent years, we have taken measures to lower this threshold by offering various options for safely reporting misconduct.
We take action against inappropriate behaviour such as bullying, gossiping, discrimination, (sexual) intimidation, and abuse of a position of power or relationship of dependence. We therefore ask you to report this.
The confidential advisors of Radboud University can advise you about possible next steps. It can feel as a barrier, but the confidential advisors are safe and trustworthy sparring partners, discrete and do not tell anyone else, except if you explicitly ask them to.
Although contacting a local contact person or the confidential advisor is a logical first step, employees can also decide to report directly to the Ombud officer. Reported cases of misconduct will be discreetly investigated, with respect and proper regards to the best interests of both the reporter and the reported. In case misconduct is confirmed, lessons will be learnt to avoid misconduct in the future and proportional measures will be taken against perpetrators, while safeguarding the interests of the victims.
We take action against inappropriate behaviour such as bullying, gossiping, discrimination, (sexual) intimidation, and abuse of a position of power or relationship of dependence. We therefore ask you to report this.
If you would rather talk to someone not involved in the faculty, you can contact the team of confidential advisors of Radboud University. The confidential advisor offers a listening ear and is independent. The confidential advisor thinks along with you and advises you in finding a solution that will stop the undesirable behaviour. For example, a confidential advisor can guide you in talking to the perpetrator. But the confidential advisor can also, at your request, engage a mediator for you or support you in submitting a complaint to the independent Complaints Committee.
You can also report this directly to the student ombudsperson. These reports will be investigated discreetly with respect for the reporter and the person being reported. If undesirable behaviour is confirmed, action will be taken to prevent this behaviour in the future and appropriate measures will be taken against the perpetrator, taking the interests of the victims into account.
We would like to inform you about the training ‘Sorting unwanted behaviour'. This training can be followed via gROW.
In this e-learning module you will learn how to create a safe workplace and what exactly can get in the way of a safe working environment. You will learn how to deal with bullying, discrimination and unwanted behaviour in the workplace. The training takes about an hour, and you can do it at a time that suits you.
Also have a look at the gROW page on Social Safety, where you will find more training and courses on this subject.
The Week of Social Safety took place from 9 to 13 October 2023. This week was aimed at both employees and students. In the upcoming academic year, we want to pay structural attention to this topic.
In the academic year 2022-2023, several activities took place to heighten the awareness about social safety. All managers were required to complete the e-learning social safety before 1 September 2023 and the management had an away day, led by Crux Creatie.