Regarding the university´s work and responsibility

The purpose of these guidelines is to clarify what responsibility the university has to prevent discrimination and handle harassment, sexual harassment, retaliation, and offensive bias in accordance with the demands made by the Anti-Discrimination Act (2008:567) and the Work Environment Agency’s provisions regarding the organization of and social atmosphere of the work environment (AFS 2015:4).

The university in its role as an education provider and employer, has a legal obligation to promote measures that actively prevent discrimination and create a work environment free from discrimination based on the seven grounds for discrimination. Active measures are those that are carried out continuously in four stages (investigate, analyse, take measures, follow up). University West’s efforts to create a work environment that is free from discrimination are an important part of our systematic work environment project (in which our efforts to prevent offensive bias are also included).

The university has an obligation to investigate the circumstances of an employee or student who feels they have been subjected to harassment or sexual harassment, (related to the grounds for discrimination) as well as seeing to it that any abusive behaviour ceases. The education provider/employer can also be notified of problems in various ways and by individuals other than the one who has been discriminated against and have an obligation to take action in such cases as well.

Based upon the university’s overall guidelines, each section (that is, each department, the administration, and SBIP (study support, the library, and educational science development) work on this according to the model for active measures. Every year, each section and its head map out, analyse, take measures, and follow up on risks for discrimination. Their work is accounted for at the end of the year, in conjunction with the Annual Report. 

The responsibilities of management

The Vice Chancellor has the overall responsibility for the university’s work environment project, in which the level playing field and efforts to prevent and handle discrimination are included. Department heads, the university director, the head of the library, and the heads of each section have direct work environment responsibility in each department/section (which the V.C. has delegated) to prevent discrimination and offensive bias. The heads are also obligated to investigate and take measures if there is suspicion of sexual or other harassment.

Coworkers’ and students’ responsibility

Each co-worker and student at University West is personally responsible for seeing to it that daily encounters between colleagues, students, student colleagues, and employees of the university work preventatively so that discrimination and offensive bias do not occur. They should do this in a respectful manner, working to create an environment that is free from discrimination. By pointing out any abuse that you notice or that you are made aware of, you are taking on this responsibility.

To the policy for Sustainable Development which includes Equal Terms.