Last updated March 2023
Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all our customers and staff. Harassment and inappropriate behaviour are forms of violence and will not be tolerated.
If any person visiting a GLL facility feels as if they or another person have been harassed or experienced inappropriate behaviour they should speak to a member of staff or email safeguarding@gll.org. Every person and every case will be reviewed in detail then dealt with sensitively and confidentially.
This statement applies to everyone who uses, attends or works at a GLL facility and defines what is meant by harassment and inappropriate behaviour, how to report it and what GLL will do.
Harassment or Inappropriate Behaviour can be defined as
- Aggressive pressure or intimidation.
- Unwelcome attention based on a personal characteristic.
- Conduct which threatens, intimidates, alarms or puts a person at fear for their safety.
- Physical violence, or direct or inferred sexual threat.
- Threatening, offensive, unwelcome, abusive verbal language or behaviour.
Examples of Harassment or Inappropriate Behaviour
- Negative, unwelcome, aggressive or detrimental comments or jokes about race, heritage, ethnicity, age, ability, size, sexual orientation, gender or identity.
- Unwanted comments on a person’s looks, dress, sexuality, age or gender in a derogatory or objectifying way.
- Unwelcome physical contact – patting, pinching, stroking, kissing, hugging, fondling or inappropriate touching.
- Physical violence, including sexual assault (as defined by the Crown Prosecution Service/Sexual Offences Act).
- Repeated unwanted flirting or flirting at an inappropriate time which could be deemed to undermine or damage a person’s reputation.
- Lewd behaviour such as leering, whistling or gesturing.
- Taking unsolicited photographs of another person.
- Excessive watching or staring at another person – directly or via mirrors.
- Uninvited correction of another person’s form or technique when training.
- Continuously exercising next to or near to another person or following them.
- Sending or sharing of unwelcome personal images to any other person.
The extent of harassment is not limited to the above examples only and each case will be fully investigated.
What to do if you have experienced Harassment or Inappropriate Behaviour
If you feel you have been the victim of harassment and you feel comfortable in doing so, speak to the person directly. If this is not possible or you feel uncomfortable doing so, you should report it to a member of staff immediately.
You can report it to GLL via email at safeguarding@gll.org. GLL also welcomes reports about harassment and inappropriate behaviour by other means, including in person or by telephone to our customer services team, and we are happy to facilitate reports to a member of staff of the same sex as the reporter if requested. We will then commence an investigation.
What GLL will do
GLL will take every allegation of harassment seriously ensuring it is handled by an appropriate senior person. We will only discuss the allegations with the individual they are against with your consent.
All allegations will be dealt in line with our complaint terms which can be found here.