October 25, 2021
The University of California Office of the President invites comments on a proposed Presidential Policy on Abusive Conduct/Bullying in the Workplace. The proposed policy covers abusive conduct/bullying and retaliation by and against members of the University community in the workplace. The proposed policy includes the following key provisions:
- The proposed policy affirms the University of California’s commitment to promoting and maintaining a healthy working and learning environment in which each individual is treated with civility and respect.
- The proposed policy identifies examples of abusive conduct/bullying, as well as examples of reasonable actions that do not constitute abusive conduct/bullying.
- The proposed policy prohibits retaliation against any person who, in good faith, reports abusive conduct/bullying, assists someone with a report of abusive conduct/bullying, or participates in an investigation or other process under the policy.
- The proposed policy addresses free speech and academic freedom. The proposed policy is intended to protect members of the University community from abusive conduct/bullying, not to regulate protected speech. The proposed policy recognizes that freedom of speech and academic freedom are not limitless and do not protect speech or expressive conduct that violates federal, State, or University policies.
- The proposed policy outlines the consequences of noncompliance, which include remediation, educational efforts, and/or employment consequences including informal counseling, adverse performance evaluations, corrective action/discipline, and termination.
The proposed policy can be found on UC Merced’s Policies website.
Employees can submit comments to UC Merced’s Policy Office by February 4, 2022, by completing this anonymous survey.
