Protecting our staff and others

Transport Scotland have zero tolerance of threats, violent and abusive behaviour towards staff to ensure their own safety and wellbeing.

Situations that are not acceptable are outlined in this section. When these happen staff will seek to end conversation and disengage while raising the behaviour and action taken with their line manager. It is important to note that in some situations, the only appropriate action is to end contact immediately.

Phone or face-to-face contact

During phone or face-to-face contact staff should issue a warning before ending contact if it is safe and they consider it appropriate to do so, but a warning is not required if it would be unsafe to do so or the language is intense, deeply upsetting or extreme.

If staff are informed they are being recorded for later use in public or are being live- streamed, they will end contact politely but immediately. While recording is acceptable for personal use and can be supported in certain circumstances, we have an expectation that staff can communicate and work free from intimidation and harassment.

Written or email correspondence

If violent or abusive correspondence is received, the sender will be informed this is unacceptable. This could be done from a manager, or from an account that is not linked to an individual, if this has been aimed at an individual staff member.

The decision that correspondence is unacceptable should be made by a senior manager to ensure consistency. Where this behaviour is repeated despite warnings, or an individual instance is abusive, steps may be taken to restrict methods of contact with the organisation.

Online, web and social media

This is a fast-moving and changing area; nevertheless, the principles outlined in this policy still apply. Transport Scotland will follow the best practice advice available at the time of any incident and note and record the reasons for our decisions. Actions may include:

• blocking accounts or using other technical options available on the relevant platform to minimise exposure
• using the relevant social media platform’s own reporting mechanisms to seek to have the content removed
• limiting contact with the individual through other channels to reduce risk to staff – this could include ensuring the person is not provided with contact details
• direct threats on social media should be dealt with like any physical threat (see below).

Physical threats

When a physical threat is made, this will be reported to the police. This includes situations where the threat made is not to us but is a threat to harm a third party or asset.

It should be noted that deciding to contact the police is a matter of judgment and in some cases may not be appropriate (if, for example, the threat is immediately withdrawn or was clearly flippant). However, this is an important safeguard and the person who receives the threat, and particularly anyone who has been personally threatened, should not decide to not inform the police alone. It should be made by a senior manager who should clearly record the decision.