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Anti-bullying and Trans awareness week-guest blog from Karen Cooke

19 November 2015

A new Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitrationheaderantibullyingweek Service) study published this week reveals that workplace bullying is growing in Britain and many people are too afraid to speak up about it.

Each and every one of us – individuals and organisations – has a responsibility to ensure that we live, work and study in an environment where bullying and harassment is completely unacceptable.  This week marks Anti-Bullying Week and the Anti-Bullying Alliance is encouraging everyone to make a noise and speak up about bullying.  This short video may be aimed at schools but the message is the same in the workplace, online and in our communities:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1lzcEq8WgI

We all know that policies aren’t enough to change the culture of an organisation completely but they are important in giving us a framework for the way that we are all expected to conduct ourselves at work.  The Dignity at Work and Study Policy outlines the expectations of all staff and also points staff in the direction of areas of support both within and outside of the University:

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/govrn/cocom/equalityanddiversity/dignityatwork/

Anti-Bullying week also coincides with Transgender Transweek_2015[1]Awareness Week which culminates in Transgender Day of Remembrance on Friday 20 November. The ACAS study indicates that there are more incidences of bullying within certain groups such as public sector minority ethnic workers; women in traditionally male-dominated occupations; workers with disabilities or long-term health problems; lesbian, gay and bisexual and transgender people; and workers in health care.

At Cardiff University we aim to celebrate and value the diversity of our University community and we are committed to treating all employees and students with dignity and respect seeking to provide a positive working and learning environment free from discrimination, harassment or victimisation.

We are committed to providing a supportive environment for Trans staff and students including working to provide appropriate facilities for trans student and staff groups, ensuring that University policies provide clear statements on harassment and bullying and ensuring a clear and positive process for disclosure of trans status and the amendment of University records.

Further information is available in our policy on supporting Trans staff and students:

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/govrn/cocom/equalityanddiversity/equalityresources/Impact-Assessment.html

To show our support for the Trans community both within and outside of Cardiff University we are lighting up the Main University building on Park Place in the colours of the Trans Pride flag from 4.30pm until 11pm on Friday evening for Transgender Day of Remembrance.  On this day we memorialise the people who have been killed that year, by murder or by suicide as a result of their perceived transgendered identity.  Those people may have been transsexual, intersex, cross dressers or others, or they may have been mistaken for someone else.