The number of reports of harassment at the UG went up last year: from 31 in 2020 to 71 in 2021.
So says confidential adviser Marjolein Renker in her 2021 annual report. The total number of reports she received didn’t change much: she received 134 reports in 2020 and 138 in 2021.
Renker writes that in comparison to the number of students and staff, the ‘margins of the reports’ are too small to constitute ‘developments or trends’. Nevertheless, she feels it’s striking that more than half the reports concern harassment; for the first time ever, they outnumber reports about personal issues.
That’s a positive development, she says, because it means ‘people are less afraid or ashamed to report harassment’.
Serious
One reason for this change could be that the projects the university has undertaken, such as more bystander training, cultural sensitivity training, and hiring a chief diversity officer and ombudsman, has led to more trust in the organisation and people feeling like they’re being taken seriously.
She also thinks the report on harassment that the Young Academy Groningen published last year plays a role. ‘It’s plausible that academic staff feel strengthened by the report to disclose instances of harassment.’
Hesitant
Another remarkable thing is the role supervisors play. While they tend to respond seriously to reports, Renker has also noticed that they don’t really know what to do with them or what is expected of them. ‘They’re hesitant to act’, the report says.
Instead of supervisors acting on them themselves, they often send reports directly to higher management, even though there’s no need for that. According to Renker, this means that in some cases, ‘everyone around the “accused” knows a report has been filed, apart from the person the report is about’.
Process
In her recommendations, Renker says that the people who file reports should be more involved in the process; people often make a complaint without knowing anything about the steps that follow. Will both sides be heard? What will management do with the report? And will anything actually change?
According to the confidential adviser, people who file reports need better answers to these questions, as do the people the reports are about.
Renker also says the Office of the Confidential Advisor needs more manpower, because the issues concerning harassment have become more complex. It’s also needed to properly handle the increased awareness of social safety at the UG.