FAQs

Can I use Spot to report someone?

No. You cannot use this version of Spot to report anyone to another person or organisation. The records you create are purely for your own use. If you want to use the record as a basis for a complaint, you can download it into a PDF and send it by email to someone, but there is no functionality within this version of Spot for you to submit a record to an employer, the charity or any third party.

Who has access to the data I share with Spot or the Bullying Advisor?

No one else has access to the information you save in Spot – the records are entirely private. The data is encrypted so that even Spot employees cannot access it. The only thing that is logged is the number of records created per month.

Everything you share with a Bullying Advisor is confidential within the pathway team. The advisor will not share any identifying data with anyone else at the charity or with any third party. The advisor may share non-identifying data within the charity in order to undertake regular reviews of the service. Advisors may also share anonymous details of calls with their independent clinical supervisors if necessary, to maintain professional standards.

Users of Spot and the Bullying Service will be asked if they are happy to answer some extra questions and share non-identifying data with the charity about their background and role in the industry in order to:

• help the charity understand where the needs lie in different parts of the industry
• help the charity improve the service

However, answering these questions is entirely optional.

 Is my data safe?

All data held on the Spot service is encrypted. Spot uses Amazon Web Services servers located in Europe (Ireland, London, Paris) to ensure security. For more information, please read about their data security and compliance here: https://talktospot.com/security.

What counts as bullying?

There is no legal definition of bullying, but according to the employment advisor ACAS, it is behaviour from a person or group that is unwanted and makes you feel uncomfortable, including feeling:

• frightened or intimidated
• less respected, put down or degraded
• humiliated or made fun of
• upset, insulted or offended

Bullying might be a regular pattern of behaviour or a one-off incident, it can happen face-to-face, on social media, in e-mails or phone calls, in the workplace or at work social events. You may feel singled out or ‘othered’ because of something like your race or gender. It might not always be obvious or noticed by others.

Here is the BFI/BAFTA Guidance, which contains more examples of these types of behaviour.

What will happen during my session with the Bullying Advisor?

During your call with the advisor you can share details about your experience. How, where and with whom it happened. You can talk about how it made you feel and the impact it has had on you. You may have already tried to address the situation with your employer, or you might want to explore further ways of tackling it. The advisor is there to support you and to offer advice on practical, legal or emotional ways of dealing with your experiences.

Do I have to use Spot before I speak to the Bullying Advisor?

No, you do not have to do anything before your appointment with a bullying advisor. However, you can choose to share Spot records in advance (by downloading and e-mailing them) if you like, and doing so may help you make more efficient use of your time with the advisor.

Can these services help with experiences of racism or sexual harassment?

Yes. These services are designed to help with all incidents of bullying, micro-aggression, harassment and direct discrimination.

In legal terms, harassment is basically bullying that’s related to certain ‘protected characteristics’, as defined under the Equality Act 2010. These include your gender or your race, i.e. sexual harassment or racial harassment. Discrimination is when you are treated unfairly or differently to others because of a ‘protected characteristic’. Here’s the full list:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity

Social class is not a legally ‘protected characteristic’, but research shows that this is often an issue in the industry.

Although these legal terms can be confusing, they do help to show why those who’ve experienced something like racism may not always see it as a form of bullying.

The only scenario these services are not set up to deal with is when the discrimination is what is variously known as structural, organisational, institutional or indirect discrimination. This is when an organisation, rather than an individual, puts a rule or policy in place that means that those with a ‘protected characteristic’ are treated worse than others.

Do you have feedback on Spot?

How have you found using Spot? Let our team would love to know what you thought. You can help improve the experience for others or let us know what worked well for you simply dropping us an email.

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