About Bullying
Bullying is never okay. It can be difficult to understand what it is unless you’ve experienced or witnessed it. Here are some helpful definitions:
Bullying
Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour involving the misuse of power that can make a person feel vulnerable, upset, humiliated, undermined or threatened. Power does not always mean being in a position of authority, but can include both personal strength and the power to coerce through fear or intimidation.
Bullying can take the form of physical, verbal and non-verbal conduct. Non-verbal conduct includes postings on social media outlets. Bullying may include, by way of example:
- shouting at, being sarcastic towards, ridiculing or demeaning others
- physical or psychological threats
- overbearing and intimidating levels of supervision
- inappropriate and/or derogatory remarks about someone's performance
- abuse of authority or power by those in positions of seniority
- deliberately excluding someone from meetings or communications without good reason
If you want to talk to someone, please contact an advisor. Or alternatively, you can make an anonymous disclosure which will allow us to investigate if there are multiple instances in one area.
We believe that bullying and harassment are never okay.
Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour involving the misuse of power that can make a person feel vulnerable, upset, humiliated, undermined or threatened. Harassment is when someone intentionally or unintentionally violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, which interferes with an individual’s learning, working or social environment.
Think
- Are you in immediate danger? If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can contact the emergency services on 999 (or 112 from a mobile phone).
- Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened try and find somewhere you feel safe.
- What are bullying and harassment? It might be useful to think about what is meant by bullying and harassment and how these behaviours are described.
Report
- We Hear You. Students and staff can report an incident using the College's WHY form. You can choose to do this anonymously or you can submit your name. If you choose to submit a named report, we will be able to talk through the options and support available to you, in confidence.
- If you choose to make a formal complaint to the College about a student or member of staff there are procedures which set out the steps you'll need to follow.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Find out more on the support available for mental health and wellbeing.
- Take care of yourself. It’s important that you take care of yourself. If you’ve heard something distressing or if something is troubling you confidential help and is open to students.
Financial Support
If you have been affected by gender-based violence (GBV), you are not alone.
You may decide that you need time away from your studies. If so, we can support you to understand your financial options, what happens to your student funding and what support is available during a break. The Student Funding and Guidance Teams can explain:
- How a break from study affects your funding
- What financial support you can access
- How we can help you with forms and applications
- External organisations that can support you
- Who to contact for confidential help.
Fund to Leave Scotland From February 2026, the Fund to Leave is available across Scotland, offering up to £1,000 to women experiencing domestic abuse to help cover essential costs related to leaving, planning to leave, or safely remaining separated. This may include moving costs or measures to improve safety at home. The fund aims to increase choice and control for women and children. Applications must be made through participating Women’s Aid or specialist domestic abuse services, which assess eligibility. It is funded by the Scottish Government, coordinated by Scottish Women’s Aid, and is a time-limited fund of £1.5 million available until 30 June 2026, or until funds are exhausted. https://womensaid.scot/fund-to-leave-scotland/
If you think someone you know is being bullied or harassed there are lots of ways in which you can help them.
Bullying and harassment are contrary to the Equality Act 2010 and the University Dignity at Work and Study Policy. Understanding the behaviours associated with bullying and harassment is a good place to start. Most people will be able to describe what has or is happening to them and how it's making them feel.
Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour involving the misuse of power that can make a person feel vulnerable, upset, humiliated undermined or threatened. Harassment is when someone intentionally or unintentionally violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, which interferes with an individual’s learning, working or social environment.
Harassment may involve sexual harassment or be related to a protected characteristic such as age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Find out more about sexual harassment.
Some forms of harassment are considered a Hate Crime. A hate incident or crime is any act of violence or hostility against a person or property that is motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person due to a particular protected characteristic. Find out more on hate crime.
Think
- Are they in immediate danger? If they are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can call 999 (or 112 from a mobile).
- Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened try and find somewhere they feel safe.
- What are bullying and harassment? It might be useful to think about what bullying and harassment are and how some of the behaviours are decribed.
Talk
- Listen. Just taking the time to listen to someone and talk about what has happened can help. These six active listening tips might help you support them.
Report
- We Hear You. Students and staff can report an incident using the College's WHY form. You can choose to do this anonymously or you can submit your name. If you choose to submit a named report, we will be able to talk through the options and support available to you, in confidence.
- If you choose to make a formal complaint to the College about a student or member of staff there are procedures which set out the steps you'll need to follow.
The information you give us will be shared with a small group of College staff from Student Experience, and Human Resources areas who will assess how best the College can respond. The content of the form will be accessible only to a very limited group of staff. Information regarding staff will be directed to the HR Managers for an appropriate response.
Support for Staff
- Human Resources- you may wish to contact a member of the HR team for confidential help, support and advice. You can reach our Human Resources team on humanresources@fife.ac.uk. The HR team can also discuss an Occupational Health referral if appropriate.
- Management support- you may want to consider approaching your line manager (unless the matter directly relates to them), or the next level of management.
- PAM Assist-Employee Assistance Programme The service helps individuals by providing emotional support through telephone and face to face counselling, as well as providing information and access to specialist advice through the PAM Assist website. Staff can contact PAM Assist directly, or the HR can make a referral on their behalf.
About Harassment
Harassment is unwanted behaviour related to a protected characteristic that violates someone's dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment. It can be physical, verbal, or non-verbal, and can be intentional or unintentional. It also includes treating someone unfairly because they accepted or rejected such behaviour in the past. This behaviour can impact an individual's learning, working, or social life.
Protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 include age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Examples of harassment include:
- Unwanted Physical Conduct: Touching, pinching, pushing, grabbing, brushing past someone, invading their personal space, unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and other verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature.
- Offensive Comments or Gestures: Intimidating comments, insensitive jokes or pranks.
- Mocking or Belittling: Making fun of or mimicking a person’s disability.
- Derogatory Remarks: Racist, sexist, homophobic or ageist jokes, or stereotypical remarks about a particular ethnic or religious group or gender.
- Outing: Revealing or threatening to out someone’s sexual orientation without their consent.
- Exclusion: Ignoring or deliberately excluding someone from conversations or a social activity.
A person can feel harassed even if they were not the intended target. For example, someone might feel harassed by racist jokes about a different ethnic group if the jokes create an offensive environment.
We believe that bullying and harassment are never okay.
Harassment may involve sexual harassment or be related to a protected characteristic such as age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Some forms of harassment are considered a Hate Crime. A hate incident or crime is any act of violence or hostility against a person or property that is motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person due to a particular protected characteristic.
Think
- Are you in immediate danger? If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can contact the emergency services on 999 (or 112 from a mobile phone).
- Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened try and find somewhere you feel safe.
- What are bullying and harassment? It might be useful to think about what is meant by bullying and harassment and how these behaviours are described.
Report
- We Hear You. Students and staff can report an incident using the College's WHY form. You can choose to do this anonymously or you can submit your name. If you choose to submit a named report, we will be able to talk through the options and support available to you, in confidence.
- If you choose to make a formal complaint to the College about a student or member of staff there are procedures which set out the steps you'll need to follow.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Find out more on the support available for mental health and wellbeing.
- Take care of yourself. It’s important that you take care of yourself. If you’ve heard something distressing or if something is troubling you confidential help and is open to students.
Financial Support
If you have been affected by gender-based violence (GBV), you are not alone.
You may decide that you need time away from your studies. If so, we can support you to understand your financial options, what happens to your student funding and what support is available during a break. The Student Funding and Guidance Teams can explain:
How a break from study affects your funding
What financial support you can access
How we can help you with forms and applications
External organisations that can support you
Who to contact for confidential help.
Harassment may involve sexual harassment or be related to a protected characteristic such as age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Find out more about sexual harassment.
Some forms of harassment are considered a Hate Crime. A hate incident or crime is any act of violence or hostility against a person or property that is motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person due to a particular protected characteristic. Find out more on hate crime.
Think
- Are they in immediate danger? If they are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can call 999 (or 112 from a mobile).
- Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened try and find somewhere they feel safe.
- What are bullying and harassment? It might be useful to think about what bullying and harassment are and how some of the behaviours are decribed.
Talk
- Listen. Just taking the time to listen to someone and talk about what has happened can help. These six active listening tips might help you support them.
Report
- We Hear You. Students and staff can report an incident using the College's WHY form. You can choose to do this anonymously or you can submit your name. If you choose to submit a named report, we will be able to talk through the options and support available to you, in confidence.
- If you choose to make a formal complaint to the College about a student or member of staff there are procedures which set out the steps you'll need to follow.
The information you give us will be shared with a small group of College staff from Student Experience, and Human Resources areas who will assess how best the College can respond. The content of the form will be accessible only to a very limited group of staff. Information regarding staff will be directed to the HR Managers for an appropriate response.
Support for Staff
- Human Resources- you may wish to contact a member of the HR team for confidential help, support and advice. You can reach our Human Resources team on humanresources@fife.ac.uk. The HR team can also discuss an Occupational Health referral if appropriate.
- Management support- you may want to consider approaching your line manager (unless the matter directly relates to them), or the next level of management.
- PAM Assist-Employee Assistance Programme The service helps individuals by providing emotional support through telephone and face to face counselling, as well as providing information and access to specialist advice through the PAM Assist website. Staff can contact PAM Assist directly, or the HR can make a referral on their behalf.