Office standards
Acceptable use policy
I understand that people may act out of character in times of trouble or distress. There may have been upsetting or distressing circumstances leading up to a constituent approaching my office.
However, I will not tolerate abusive behaviour nor actions that result in unacceptable or excessive demands on my staff in that it prevents them from carrying out their duties effectively.
It is these behaviours and actions that I aim to manage under this Policy. In a small minority of cases, it may be necessary to apply restrictions on engagement in order to protect staff and ensure the continued availability of constituency office services.
Aggressive or abusive behaviour
If anger or frustration escalates into aggression towards my staff, I consider that unacceptable. Any violence, threats, or abuse towards staff will not be tolerated.
Violence is not restricted to acts of aggression that may result in physical harm. It also includes behaviour or language that is threatening or abusive.
I will judge each situation individually based on the circumstances of each case.
Unacceptable language is that which:
Is offensive, derogatory, or patronising;
Is discriminatory in any way; or
Makes serious allegations that individuals have committed criminal, corrupt, or perverse conduct without any evidence.
I may decide that comments aimed not at my staff but at me or third parties are unacceptable because of the effect that listening or reading them may have. Examples include rudeness, offensive comments, derogatory remarks, making inflammatory statements, or raising unsubstantiated allegations made towards these third parties. Such comments may be made on social media or other third-party platforms.
All threats against either my staff will be taken very seriously and if staff feel scared or threatened at any point during a conversation with a constituent, the interaction may be ended at any time.
Unreasonable demands
A demand becomes unacceptable when it starts to (or when complying with the demand would) impact substantially on the work my staff carry out on my behalf.
Examples of this behaviour include:
Repeatedly demanding response within an unreasonable timescale;
Insisting on seeing or speaking to a particular member of staff, when that is not possible;
Repeatedly changing the substance of a complaint or raising unrelated concerns;
Making repeated and unnecessary contact during the course of us dealing with a complaint or carrying out an investigation;
Refusing to accept a decision where explanations for the decision have been provided.
An example of such impact would be that the demand takes up an excessive amount of staff time and in doing so disadvantages other constituents and prevents their own complaint from being dealt with quickly.
Unreasonable levels of contact
Sometimes the volume and duration of contact made to my office by an individual may cause problems. This can occur over a short period, for example, a number of calls in one day or hour.
It may occur over the life-span of a complaint when a constituent repeatedly makes long telephone calls to us or inundates us with copies of information that has been sent already or that is irrelevant to the substantial matter raised.
I consider that the level of contact has become unacceptable when the amount of time spent talking to a constituent on the telephone, or responding to, reviewing, and filing emails or written correspondence impacts on my offices’ ability to deal with that matter, or with other constituents’ issues.
Harassment
My staff have the right to carry out their duties free from harassment or threats of harassment. I ask everyone to respect that my staff are delivering a service on my behalf and therefore this may not reflect their own views or preferences.
Examples of behaviours I consider to be harassment against my office include:
Recording telephone discussions and publishing the information online such as through YouTube, Facebook or Twitter;
Contacting staff using their personal details or social media profiles such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn;
Publishing personal, sensitive, or private information about staff online or other public domains such as noticeboards or newsletters.
Examples of unacceptable or persistent levels of contact can include:
Continuous contact while my office is in the process of considering a matter,
Repeated telephone calls over a short period, for example, a high number calls in one day or week,
Lengthy telephone calls repeating the same points of discussion,
High volumes of information provided by email or post referencing the same issues,
Unnecessarily or excessive copying us into emails to other parties.
Actions I may take
When my office experiences behaviour or demands which are unacceptable, I may consider taking more formal action. The actions I will consider can include the following:
Warning the constituent about their behaviour and requesting that the constituent modifies their behaviour in future contact with us.
Appointing a specific point of contact for the constituent
Communicating only in writing or via a representative
Deciding not to investigate a representation on the basis that it has been pursued in a way that is unacceptable.
Stop all communication with a constituent
Restricting or limiting contact
Where it is decided that formal action must be taken to manage someone’s behaviour I or my office, will inform them of the decision in writing. A note will be placed on our records to this effect.
October 2024