Managing unreasonable behaviour
Managing unreasonable behaviour
Our purpose is to give residents a firm foundation on which to build their lives.
We value everyone and believe all residents have the right to be heard, understood and respected. We also consider the same to be true for our colleagues. This policy sets out what we consider to be unreasonable behaviour, and our approach to dealing with this in a fair and transparent way. Alongside this policy, we have a code of conduct and behaviour framework called the settle way which sets out our expectations of colleagues and contractors who are acting on our behalf.
Behaviour is not unreasonable just because a person is assertive or determined. We understand there may have been distressing circumstances leading up to a resident contacting us and we will always take a resident focussed approach when you raise concerns with us, making it easy for residents to raise a complaint when they need to.
Here are some examples of what we deem to be unreasonable behaviour:
▪ Verbal abuse, including shouting and swearing
▪ Aggression, violence and threats of violence, including derogatory remarks, rudeness, inflammatory allegations and threats of violence
▪ Prejudice and discriminatory remarks, for example unfair treatment based on race, gender, disability
▪ Harassment and bullying
▪ Contacting members of our team outside of work, including through their personal social media accounts
▪ Unreasonable persistence, refusing to accept the answer that has been provided and continuing to raise the same subject matter without providing any new evidence.
We will always try to resolve issues informally where possible, assessing any reasonable adjustments we may need to make, for example changes we can put in place to make it easier to access our services. Where it becomes appropriate to take formal action, we will write to you explaining the reasons for this and when this action will be reviewed.
Examples of formal actions include:
▪ Deciding to only visit your home in pairs
▪ Providing a single point of contact for ongoing service requests
▪ Limiting contact to a single form, for example to writing, email or telephone only
▪ Limiting our response to excessive contact to a certain number of times per week or month
▪ Declining to give any further consideration to an issue unless any additional evidence or information is provided
▪ In extreme cases such as physical violence or harassment towards an employee or
contractor acting on our behalf, actions could include involving the police, taking legal action.
Current position
We have measured our current position through the tenant satisfaction measures and
colleague engagement survey for the current year, this has told us that:
▪ 75% of residents agree that Settle treats residents fairly and with respect
▪ 72% of residents agree that Settle is easy to deal with
▪ 88% of colleagues believe Settle would respond appropriately to instances of discrimination.
▪ We will always take a fair and balanced approach to assessing and addressing unreasonable behaviour, resolving this quickly and informally where possible
▪ We will consider a resident’s individual situation, any medical conditions and known vulnerabilities such as mental health issues and learning disabilities
▪ We will support our colleagues who are subjected to unreasonable behaviour
▪ When we recognise unreasonable behaviour, we’ll let the resident know and explain what we find unreasonable before taking any action
▪ We will take measures, including making reasonable adjustments, to support anyone who may need help to communicate with us or to access our services
▪ We comply with the provision and disclosure of data in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018
▪ To record all instances of unreasonable behaviour.
▪ To manage unreasonable behaviour in a consistent, fair and transparent way.
▪ To ensure all residents and colleagues are treated fairly and with respect.
▪ To improve communication and early resolution of any concerns raised by residents.
▪ To ensure that colleagues feel safe, supported and equipped to manage any instances of unreasonable behaviour.
▪ Deliver supporting procedures and guidance for colleagues to recognise and record unreasonable behaviour in a consistent way
▪ Carry out training on recognising, recording and responding to residents with vulnerabilities and support needs
▪ Carry out training on complaint handling, dispute and conflict resolution
▪ Expand call recording to all resident-facing roles to improve record keeping
▪ Residents and colleagues feel supported, listened to and treated fairly.
▪ Residents feel they can raise a complaint and know what to expect from us when things go wrong.
▪ Colleagues are equipped to manage cases of unreasonable behaviour and feel supported when doing so.
▪ Residents are always offered reasonable adjustments to communicate with us and access our services when appropriate.
▪ 90% of residents agree that Settle treats residents fairly and with respect.
▪ 90% of residents state that Settle is easy to deal with.
▪ 90% of colleague believe that Settle would support them if they experienced any form of unreasonable behaviour.
▪ 90% of colleagues believe Settle would respond appropriately to instances of discrimination.
▪ Equality Act 2010
▪ The GDPR Act 2018
▪ Human Rights Act 1998
▪ The Freedom of Information Act 2000
▪ The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006
▪ Housing Regulation Act 2023
This policy was written in April 2024 – We will review this policy every 2 years or earlier if there is a business or regulatory need.
Residents have the right to appeal any decision made in line with this policy.