Capital Sky supports your right and opportunity to seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination and with respect for your dignity.

Harassment in the workplace is a discriminatory act which, in any form, is unacceptable and, in most cases, unlawful. We are committed to providing a working environment that is harmonious and acceptable to all. We extend this principle to everyone our organisation deals with.

What Is Harassment?

Harassment is “unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which violates an individual’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual.”

Harassment is not only unacceptable language or behaviour that causes the recipient to feel embarrassed, offended, or threatened. Someone may complain

about behaviour they find offensive even if it was not directed at them. The person complaining does not need to possess the protected characteristic themselves. Harassment can also be directed at someone who associates with a person who has a protected characteristic, or because they are believed to possess such a characteristic (even if they do not).

Your Responsibilities

It is your duty to treat people with respect, appreciating their feelings and considering their well-being in what you say or do. What may be acceptable to one person may upset and/or intimidate another. Harassment takes many forms and can range from relatively mild banter to actual physical violence. It can be delivered in many ways, and this policy applies to all forms of communication including text messages, email, and comments posted on social networking sites.

Some Examples

The following are examples of behaviour we consider to constitute harassment:

  • Coarse or insensitive jokes and pranks
  • Coarse or insensitive comments about appearance or character
  • Display or distribution of offensive material, whether written or pictorial
  • Deliberate exclusion or isolation from conversation or activities
  • Unwelcome familiarity or physical contact
  • Abusive, insulting, or threatening language
  • Demands or threats to intimidate or obtain favours
  • Threatened or actual violence

This is not intended as an exhaustive list.

Capital Sky senior management will investigate all allegations of such behaviour. Offenders are liable to disciplinary action and, in serious cases, dismissal.

Where You Encounter Harassment

If you feel you are being harassed, the first step is to make clear that you want it to stop. Tell the person harassing you that you find such behaviour unacceptable. Person-to-person discussion at an early stage is often enough to stop harassment. Alternatively, you may seek the help of a trusted colleague and ask them to approach the person causing offence on your behalf.

If the behaviour continues, or you consider an instance to be particularly serious, please follow the grievance procedure.

Capital Sky assures you that grievances will be dealt with promptly and in a discreet and caring manner. Where you make or support a complaint in good faith, you will not be victimised for doing so, whatever the outcome. However, we cannot protect anyone who maliciously makes or supports an untrue complaint. Such occurrences will be investigated under our disciplinary procedure.