Reporting unwanted conduct and harassment
It is the Agency’s Policy to protect the dignity of every person working at ESA against any form of unwanted conduct and harassment as well as to implement preventive measures conducive of a respectful workplace.
Mechanism for action
How to report unwanted conduct and occurrences of harassment?
It is important to recall that inappropriate and even unacceptable behaviour does not necessarily constitute a case of harassment and often a distinction is difficult to make at the outset. It is for this reason that the Agency has introduced informal and formal procedures aiming at resolving any type of interpersonal conflict, involving one or several staff members as party. It is strongly advised to seek the resolution of the problem through informal mechanisms first with the possible involvement of the Conflict Navigators and/or the Mediators pursuant to the Policy on Facilitation and Mediation at ESA.
Should the informal procedure be deemed inappropriate or unsuccessful, individuals may prefer launching the formal procedure foreseen in the Policy on Reporting Unwanted Conduct and Investigating Harassment at ESA.
To formally report any unwanted conduct and occurrences of harassment, here is the process to follow:
First: make sure that the elements you wish to report fall within the scope of the Policy and that you are eligible to report them:
- the occurrences of unwanted conduct or of harassment you wish to report involve at least one staff member either as the person(s) subject to the occurrences reported, or as the person(s) concerned by the report.
- the occurrences you wish to report relate to the staff members’ functions or have taken place at ESA’s premises.
- you are the person subject to the unwanted conduct or harassment or report as an individual having witnessed such occurrences
- you are reporting the matter within 24 months, in principle, of the most recent act
Then: submit your report to the ESA Head of the Human Resources Department by sending an email to report.unwanted-conduct@esa.int detailing the occurrences and providing any available evidence in your possession
- you may opt to report the occurrences anonymously provided your report is sufficiently detailed, and the occurrences reported supported by available evidence.