The Forces Employment Charity has a client conduct policy to address any issues of violence, aggression or unacceptable conduct directed towards Forces Employment Charity members of staff. The Forces Employment Charity is delivering a clear message to our clients that violence and aggression towards any of our members of staff is unacceptable.
Violence, aggression and unacceptable conduct
Violence and aggression at work can be interpreted as ‘any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work’.
Physical assault is ‘the intentional application of force from one person to another, without lawful justification, resulting in physical injury, personal discomfort or damage to property’.
Non-physical assault or verbal aggression is ‘the use of inappropriate words either verbally or in writing (including social media, emails and webchat) or any other behaviour which causes alarm, distress and/or could be described as harassment’.
Persistent unacceptable conduct refers to behaviour within either one contact or a number of separate contacts over an undefined period of time.
Examples of unacceptable conduct
Our commitment is to deliver excellent service in a space that is welcoming and safe and we ask all our clients for their co-operation in maintaining this environment. The Forces Employment Charity also recognises the importance of striking a balance between providing an opportunity for the lawful expression of views and opinions and unacceptable actions that affect its members of staff.
Some examples of unacceptable conduct in these instances might include, but not limited to:
How we manage unacceptable conduct
Face to face contact
Members of staff are empowered to ask a client to leave the premises or remove themselves from the premises if they feel the client is being aggressive, abusive or offensive. The person dealing with the client has the right to make this decision.
Telephone calls
The use of abusive and offensive language towards members of staff will not be tolerated. Members of staff will end any telephone call if they feel the caller is being aggressive, intimidating, abusive or offensive. The person taking the call is empowered to make this decision. The caller will be advised that their behaviour and/or language are unacceptable and that the call will be politely ended if it continues. The call may also be ended if the client refuses to conclude the conversation and persists in staying on the line. There may be rare occasions when the person involved is unable to give a warning that the call will be ended if the client’s unacceptable behaviour/language continues, in which case they are empowered to end the call immediately.
Correspondence
The Forces Employment Charity will not process any correspondence (email or letter) that is abusive. If communications of this nature are received, we will tell the client that their communication is inappropriate and offensive. The client will be asked to stop corresponding in this way and state that if they do not stop, the Charity will not respond to any further communication from them.
Appropriate Action
The Forces Employment Charity will not accept or tolerate any violence or aggression towards its members of staff and any such act or conduct will result in appropriate action. Where there is a concern about the conduct of clients that may fall within the scope of this policy, the member of staff, or their manager, will, in the first instance, ask the client in writing to modify their conduct.
If a client’s conduct continues to cause concern after being given an initial warning, the issue will be raised with Programme Manager and or Compliance Manager who will take a decision whether to continue support or remove or restrict access to the Charity’s services.
Where a client’s conduct is so extreme that it poses an immediate threat to the health, safety or wellbeing of staff, the client may not receive a warning that access to our services may be restricted. The Forces Employment Charity will however provide written confirmation of its decision to the client, where possible.
Sometimes a client’s conduct can cause significant alarm, distress or concern that a criminal act may have taken or be about to take place. When such situations arise, the Forces Employment Charity will consider reporting the matter to the police or other relevant authorities. We will base our decision on an assessment of risk. The underlying principle will be the need to protect our staff and others from harm or the threat of harm.
In any of the circumstances outlined above it is possible that all direct contact with the client will be ended; they may be removed from accessing support. If the Forces Employment Charity does decide to restrict a client’s access, it may decide to adopt one or more of the following actions (or any other action deemed appropriate):
Review of Policy
This policy is reviewed on an annual basis and amendments will be published on our website.
Last updated: 13 October 2022
