Bullying and harassment policy

Statement of commitment
BAA is committed to operating a business in which equality of opportunity in employment is a reality. Everyone will be treated fairly and with respect and all staff are entitled to a working environment which is free from bullying and harassment.

Our policy
Bullying and harassment take many forms and include physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct. In the context of this policy harassment is unwanted, often persistent behaviour which offends or causes embarrassment or distress to the recipient. Bullying is a type of harassment and can be devastating to an employee's health and well-being. Bullying is any unsolicited or unwelcome act that humiliates, intimidates or undermines the victim. If ignored, incidents of harassment lead to, and perpetuate a working environment in which it is not pleasant to work. Individuals cannot contribute their best at work when under fear of intimidation and victimisation. Bullying and harassment can cause much avoidable demoralisation, stress, and anxiety. It impacts on absence and performance levels. A workplace environment which is free from all forms of harassment enables all individuals to contribute more effectively to business success and to achieve higher levels of job satisfaction.

The purpose of this policy is to state BAA's position on bullying and harassment in our workplace and to provide guidelines for responding to and dealing with any incidents of this nature that may occur at work. The policy prohibits all forms of harassment whether this amounts to unlawful discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, or disability or not. Conduct which is proven to have harassed and intimidated an individual(s) will result in an individual being disciplined and may result in dismissal, or summary dismissal for gross misconduct.

The policy applies to all members of staff during working hours and outside normal working hours where an individual's action detrimentally affects the organisation, a BAA colleague or customer.

How will BAA achieve this
This policy:

• Makes explicit those behaviours which will not be tolerated by BAA
• Draws attention to the many forms of bullying and harassment at work and to their serious adverse effects
• Provides practical guidance to all employees on how to deal with bullying and harassment.