Acceptable Behaviour Policy
Office Standards
The purpose of the below policy is to set out what is deemed as unacceptable behaviour and how unacceptable behaviour toward my staff will be managed.
When people contact my office, I understand that they are often experiencing distressing and difficult circumstances which can lead them to act out of character. However, unacceptable behaviour, or actions that result in excessive demands on my staff that prevent them from carrying out their duties effectively, will not be tolerated
Aggressive or abusive behaviour
When constituents are discussing their case with staff, there may be times when they feel anger about their personal situation. If that anger escalates to aggression towards my staff, I consider that unacceptable.
Examples of this behaviour include:
– Physical violence or threats of physical violence either verbally or online.
– Abusive language that may cause staff to feel offended, afraid or threatened including statements which are derogatory, patronising, discriminatory, racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic.
– Serious and unsubstantiated allegations of criminality or corruption toward my staff without any evidence.
Please note, I may also decide that comments aimed at third parties are unacceptable because of the effect that listening or reading them may have on my staff.
All threats against my staff will be taken very seriously. If staff feel scared or threatened at any point during a conversation with a constituent, the interaction may be ended at any time.
Unreasonable demands
A demand is deemed unreasonable when it significantly impacts my staff’s ability to assist other constituents.
Examples of this behaviour include:
– Repeatedly demanding responses within an unreasonable timescale.
– Insisting on seeing or speaking to a particular member of staff, when that is not possible.
– Repeatedly changing the substance of a complaint or raising unrelated concerns.
Unreasonable levels of contact
At times, the volume and duration of contact made to my office by an individual can prevent my office from functioning efficiently.
Examples of this behaviour include:
– Continuous contact while my office is in the process of considering a matter.
– Repeated telephone calls over a short period, for example, a high number calls in one day or week.
– Lengthy telephone calls repeating the same points of discussion.
– High volumes of information provided by email or post referencing the same issues.
– Unnecessarily and/or excessively copying my office into emails to other parties.
I consider the level of contact has become unacceptable when the amount of time spent talking to a constituent on the telephone, responding to, reviewing, and filing emails or written correspondence impacts on my offices’ ability to deal with that complaint, or with other constituents’ complaints.
Harassment
My staff have the right to carry out their duties free from harassment or threats of harassment.
Examples of this behaviour include:
– Recording telephone discussions and publishing the information online such as through YouTube, Vimeo or Twitter.
– Contacting staff using their personal details or social media presence such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn
– Publishing personal, sensitive, or private information about staff online or other public domains such as noticeboards or newsletters.
Refusal to co-operate
When dealing with your case, my office may need follow-up information to proceed. Constituents may be asked to provide:
– Further information, evidence, or comments on request.
– To summarise their concerns to make it easier to understand the resolution being sought.
Sometimes, an individual repeatedly refuses to co-operate, making it difficult to proceed. My office will always seek to assist someone if they have a specific, genuine difficulty complying with a request. However, it is unacceptable to bring a complaint to my office and then refuse to respond to clear and appropriate requests by staff.
Reasonable adjustments
I understand that some constituents may find it difficult to express themselves or communicate clearly, especially when they are anxious or upset. If you require a reasonable adjustment, we ask that they explain what adjustments they’re looking for and how this will ensure they can access the service my office offers.
Examples of adjustments we can consider are:
– Different methods of communication
– Providing written communication in large print, coloured text, or in translation
– Giving clear warnings if conversations become unproductive and allowing constituents to opportunity to modify their behaviour before ending a call.
I may still use the policy if there are actions or behaviours which are having a negative effect on my staff or our work even where a reasonable adjustment has been made.
Actions I may take
When my office experiences unacceptable behaviour, I may consider taking more formal action.
The actions I will consider can include the following:
– Warning the constituent about their behaviour and requesting that the constituent modifies their behaviour in future contact with us.
– Appointing a specific point of contact for the constituent
– Communicating only in writing or via a representative
– Deciding not to investigate a complaint on the basis that it has been pursued in a way that is unacceptable.
– Stop all communication with a constituent
– Restricting or limiting contact
Where it is decided that formal action must be taken to manage someone’s behaviour I may inform them of the decision in writing. A note will be placed on our records to this effect.