Objective

The purpose of this policy is to communicate to all employees and consultants, including supervisors, managers, partners, advisors, volunteers, coalition members, and executives, that The Virsa Foundation Inc will not in any instance tolerate bullying behavior. Individuals found in violation of this policy will be disciplined, up to and including termination. There is no place for bullying and unethical behavior in the vegan and lifestyle medicine movement. This movement is built upon compassion for self, animals, public health, and planetary health.

Definition

The Virsa Foundation Inc defines bullying as repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more people by one or more perpetrators. It is abusive conduct that includes:

  • Threatening, humiliating, or intimidating behaviors.

  • Work interference/sabotage that prevents work from getting done.

  • Slander, defamation that puts personnel and projects at risk.

  • Verbal abuse including labeling and stereotyping coworkers.

  • Any behavior that has harmful racialized overtones.

Such behavior violates Virsa’s Code of Ethics, which clearly states that all employees will be treated with dignity and respect.

Examples

The Virsa Foundation considers the following types of behavior examples of bullying:

  • Verbal bullying. Slandering, ridiculing, or maligning a person or his or her family; persistent name-calling that is hurtful, insulting or humiliating; using a person as the butt of jokes; abusive and offensive remarks.

  • Physical bullying. Pushing, shoving, kicking, poking, tripping, assault or threat of physical assault, damage to a person’s work area or property.

  • Gesture bullying. Nonverbal gestures that can convey threatening messages.

  • Exclusion. Socially or physically excluding or disregarding a person in work-related activities. Guarding and controlling partner relationships to the exclusion of other coworkers engaged in the project with an intent for personal gain and overall detriment to the project.

In addition, the following examples may constitute or contribute to evidence of bullying in the workplace:

  • Persistent singling out of one person.

  • Shouting or raising one’s voice at an individual in public or in private.

  • Using obscene or intimidating gestures.

  • Not allowing the person to speak or express himself of herself (i.e., ignoring or interrupting).

  • Personal insults and use of offensive nicknames. Including stereotyping.

  • Public humiliation in any form.

  • Constant criticism on matters unrelated or minimally related to the person’s job performance or description.

  • Public reprimands.

  • Repeatedly accusing someone of errors that cannot be documented.

  • Deliberately interfering with mail and other communications.

  • Spreading rumors and gossip regarding individuals.

  • Encouraging others to disregard a supervisor’s instructions.

  • Manipulating the ability of someone to do his or her work (e.g., overloading, underloading, withholding information, setting deadlines that cannot be met, giving deliberately ambiguous instructions).

  • Assigning menial tasks not in keeping with the normal responsibilities of the job.

  • Taking credit for another person’s ideas. Including misappropriation, misattribution, and unlawful, unfair trespassing of the person’s / project’s / The Virsa Foundation Inc’s work output, copyright, and IP, as the case may be.

  • Refusing reasonable requests for leave in the absence of work-related reasons not to grant leave.

  • Deliberately excluding an individual or isolating him or her from work- related activities, such as meetings.

  • Unwanted physical contact, physical abuse or threats of abuse to an individual or an individual’s property (defacing or marking up property). This includes social media trolling, aggression, unsolicited online behavior.

Individuals who feel they have experienced bullying should report this to their supervisor or to The Virsa Foundation Inc’s Board of Directors and/or Officers before the conduct becomes severe or pervasive. All employees are strongly encouraged to report any bullying conduct they experience or witness as soon as possible to allow The Virsa Foundation Inc to take appropriate action.