Gå til hovedinnhold
0
Jump to main content

National survey starts on Monday

“We take bullying and harassment seriously and we need to know more about its extent.  A national survey starts on Monday and I hope that all UiA-staff will use some minutes to participate”, rector Frank Reichert says.

This article is more than two years old, and may contain outdated information.

Frank Reichert, photo
UiA's rector, Frank Reichert.

From 20 May to 31 May, a large national survey will be held for around 40,000 staff at universities and colleges across the country. The survey was initiated by the University of Agder, the University of Oslo and Oslo National Academy of the Arts.

On Monday, all staff members will receive an email with a link to the survey. They are requested to respond to whether they have experienced bullying or harassment at work and if they know who to talk, should they experience this. The survey also addresses the organisational rank of the person responsible for the bullying.

The survey was developed by a team against bullying and harassment appointed by Universities Norway and led by Frank Reichert.

“Nowadays there is not enough knowledge about the extent of bullying and harassment in the higher education sector. We are conducting this survey because we take bullying and harassment seriously. The collected data will give us facts rather than opinions. That gives us a good foundation for creating measures to prevent and follow up cases of bullying and harassment”, Reichert says.

Lowering the threshold

Reporting unwanted incidents may be difficult. Is the case sufficiently serious? Who do you talk to, and how will it be handled? These are questions are a concern for many. 

“We hope that the increased focus on the issue will lower the threshold for speaking out when you experience unwanted conduct”, Reichert says.

The survey is anonymous. No names are given and the link between e-mail address and survey questionnaire is immediately deleted once the survey is completed. No employees at the individual institutions have access to the data. The data collection and subsequent analysis will be managed by Ipsos Norway. They process the responses in a way that ensures anonymity in compliance with the data protection legislation. A national report will be prepared. Universities and colleges may request an institutional report, but reports will not be made for individual faculties or institutes.

Helpline

Should you need someone to talk to in connection with this issue, a 24/7 helpline will be operational in the time during and after the survey. Clinic for Crisis Psychology in Bergen manages the helpline. 

Speak up

Since the survey is anonymous, reported bullying and harassment does not count as whistleblowing.

“If you have experienced unwanted conduct in your employment with us, we ask you to report it through our Speak Up reporting service. By doing so, you give us the opportunity to deal appropriately with the issue”, Reichert says, and refers to the UiA Speak Up website.