Antidiscrimination policy 2100-SPP-L-D6ANPO

Course scope and goal

The course introduces students to the basic principles, definitions, and practical application of anti-discrimination and anti-mobbing policies in organisational and public settings. Students learn how to recognise discriminatory behaviour and mobbing, understand their individual and systemic consequences, and apply prevention and response strategies in line with relevant regulations and professional standards. The course builds practical competence in analysing situations, choosing appropriate responses, communicating safely and respectfully, documenting incidents, and understanding the roles and responsibilities of employees, managers, HR, and institutions.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student will be able to:

Knowledge

Define anti-discrimination policy and anti-mobbing policy and explain their goals and scope.

Distinguish discrimination (including direct/indirect, harassment, retaliation) from other workplace conflicts or unfair treatment.

Describe what mobbing is, how it develops over time, and how it differs from one-time incidents or performance management.

Summarise key legal/regulatory standards related to discrimination and mobbing (national regulations and applicable international/sectoral standards).

Identify organisational responsibilities: prevention, reporting channels, investigation standards, confidentiality, and non-retaliation.

Skills

Identify and classify behaviours and situations as potential discrimination, harassment, mobbing, retaliation, or other forms of misconduct using structured criteria.

Apply basic response strategies: immediate safety, de-escalation, documentation, reporting, seeking support, and follow-up.

Analyse short case studies and propose appropriate preventive and corrective measures (individual, team, organisational).

Draft basic elements of a policy-aligned response: incident note, reporting message, and recommended next steps (who, what, when).

Demonstrate respectful communication practices when discussing sensitive topics (bystander intervention, supportive language, boundary setting).

Social competence / attitudes

Demonstrate ethical awareness and responsibility for creating inclusive and safe environments.

Recognise power dynamics and the impact of bias (conscious and unconscious) on decision-making.

Engage in discussion with respect, confidentiality, and sensitivity to affected persons.

Course content

Foundations and terminology: Equality, dignity, inclusion, safety; why anti-discrimination policies exist

What is discrimination: Definitions and types; protected characteristics (context-dependent); direct vs indirect discrimination

Harassment and hostile environment: Sexual harassment, harassment related to protected characteristics; microaggressions vs harassment (boundaries and evidence)

Retaliation and victimisation: Why it matters; typical forms; organisational safeguards

What is mobbing: Patterns, duration, escalation, power imbalance; difference between conflict and mobbing

Examples and indicators: Typical discriminatory behaviours; typical mobbing tactics; early warning signs

Consequences: Individual, team, organisational; legal and reputational risks; mental health and productivity impacts

Prevention: Policy design basics; training; leadership responsibilities; culture and reporting climate

Response and procedures: Reporting pathways; documentation; investigation principles; confidentiality; protection against retaliation

Legal/regulatory framework: Core obligations, rights, employer responsibilities, burden of proof concepts (adapt to your jurisdiction)

Workshop programme

Case classification lab: Students classify scenarios (discrimination / harassment / mobbing / conflict / management issue) with justification

Bystander and ally skills: Practical intervention models (direct, distract, delegate, document, delay) adapted to workplace context

Documentation & reporting practice: Writing fact-based incident notes; what to include/avoid; evidence and timeline building

Role responsibilities simulation: What to do as: affected person, witness, manager, HR/ethics officer; safe communication

Policy and procedure critique: Analysing sample policies: clarity, accessibility, confidentiality, non-retaliation, investigation steps

Prevention plan mini-project: Team proposes a small anti-discrimination & anti-mobbing improvement plan for a fictional organisation