Bullying
ETH Zurich does not tolerate bullying in any form, or destructive conflict. At our university, we work and study together in an atmosphere of team spirit, trust, motivation and absence of fear. We also foster a culture of healthy discussion and conflict resolution.
What exactly is destructive conflict and bullying?
Destructive conflict involves a dispute in which someone’s personal integrity is challenged or damaged, whether directly or indirectly. This type of conflict jeopardises the university’s safe and open working atmosphere. Bullying is a particularly destructive type of conflict where a person is systematically insulted, excluded or discriminated against.
Bullying covers a whole range of systematic, aggressive and discrediting behaviours, often carried out indirectly and over a prolonged period. Typical examples include:
- Victimisation and intimidation
such as constantly interrupting, contradicting, questioning someone, etc. - Attacks on personal integrity and dignity
such as embarrassing someone or making them look foolish in front of others, spreading rumours, slandering someone, etc. - Social exclusion
such as demeaning, deliberately ignoring or excluding someone, etc. - Unfair working or study conditions
such as assigning inappropriate tasks (deliberately expecting too much or too little of someone), selectively withholding or hiding information. - Psychological or physical attacks
such as threats, scuffles, use of violence etc.
Bullying targets a specific person and is carried out systematically over a prolonged period.
Bullying can have very damaging psychological – and often also physical – effects:
Strong feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem, withdrawal tendencies, post-traumatic symptoms such as disrupted sleep patterns, lack of concentration, reduced performance, stress, anxiety and despair, typically accompanied by somatic / physical symptoms such as digestive problems or chronic pain.
In the workplace, bullying often leads to more time spent out of the office, more absences due to illness and in some cases extended periods off work due to burnout or depression.
Do you feel overwhelmed by a conflict situation in your place of work? Or do you think you are a victim of systematic bullying? Take action! These situations do not usually resolve themselves on their own.
Actions you can take include:
- React quickly and set boundaries.
Clarify the situation as quickly as possible. Make it clear to the person that you find certain actions or statements unacceptable and ask them to stop this behaviour. - Seek support.
Discuss the situation with your supervisor. Or get in touch with one of our contact and advice services.
The university – including all managers and tutors – has a duty to ensure a safe working and learning environment, based on trust and mutual respect.
Actions you can take include:
- Be a role model.
In your team meetings or your teaching sessions, try to foster a fair and respectful culture of communication and conflict resolution, with objective feedback and communication, and transparent decisions. - React quickly and set clear boundaries.
Make sure you recognise destructive developments and escalating conflict by keeping a close eye not only on the performance of staff and students, but also on how they interact with their peers. Do not tolerate any disparaging or defamatory comments. - Get support.
Managing conflict constructively can be a challenge. If you need help, get in touch with one of our contact and advice services.
At ETH Zurich, we look out for one another. All members of the ETH Zurich community are expected to actively intervene against unfair or destructive behaviour.
- Voice your concerns.
Report what you have seen to your supervisor. - Arrange help.
Draw the attention of anyone affected by bullying to the contact and advice services within ETH Zurich: they will be able to offer support for a fair resolution.
Various ETH contact and advice services offer guidance and support in helping you reach a solution. You are free to decide which service you would like to contact. They will then discuss potential courses of action with you.
All counselling is provided free of charge.
Any advice is always provided confidentially and protects your anonymity vis-à-vis the conflict parties involved. After raising a complaint we may progress the case as you wish. Further steps are only taken with your consent.
You can get in touch with the contact and advice services even if you are facing an allegation yourself.
Formal phase
If a conflict could not be resolved with the help of an ETH contact and advice service, as the affected party you can initiate an official clarification procedure by submitting a formal written complaint. Your anonymity is no longer protected, and your identity will be disclosed to the parties involved.
Please note: If the incident is very serious, direct reporting is possible without prior counselling.
Who is alleged to have behaved inappropriately? The procedure for submitting a report depends on the alleged offender’s relationship with ETH Zurich.
- Staff
If the alleged offender is an ETH employee, the Reporting Office will deal with your complaint directly. - Students
If a student is alleged to have misbehaved in the sense of external pageArt. 3 of the Disciplinary Ordinance of ETH Zurichcall_made, please contact the internal Advice and Conciliation Service Respect.
Initial consultation
After the report is received, the competent body checks whether it is complete and submitted on time, as well as which parties are involved. The Reporting Office will then arrange an initial consultation with you, as the affected party.
Breaking confidentiality
If you choose to submit a formal complaint, you lose your anonymity vis-à-vis the other party involved. The Reporting Office will then ask them to attend a hearing as well. The anonymity of any third parties not involved in the dispute is protected.
Impartiality and fairness
The competent body initiates and coordinates the appropriate clarification procedure in each case. In doing so, it works according to the principles of impartiality, the rule of law and fairness. All communication in the formal phase must also follow the principles of mutually respectful interaction and fair play.