CU Boulder and CU System have policies around Workplace Bullying and Ethical Behavior to which all employees are expected to adhere. Both also have guidance on expectations of inclusive excellence:   

  • Workplace Bullying APS (administrative policy statement)
  • Code of Conduct APS: Principles of Ethical Behavior
  • Inclusive Excellence competency
  • Colorado Creed: As a member of the Boulder community and the University of Colorado Boulder, I agree to: 
    • Act with honor, integrity and accountability in my interactions with students, faculty, staff and neighbors. 
    • Respect the rights of others and accept our differences. 
    • Contribute to the greater good of this community.
    • These values are reinforced by our Inclusive Excellence Initiative. CU Boulder’s identity is defined by respect for diversity and inclusivity. 

If a CIRES employee has any concerns related to bullying behavior, whether it was observed, perceived, experienced, etc., the employee should reach out to CIRES HR or Angela Knight directly. HR will work with the employee(s) to better understand the nature of the concern and issue at hand.  As appropriate, HR may involve central HR’s Employee Relations Office, which oversees the Workplace Bullying Policy for the Boulder campus. If a CIRES employee is found to be exhibiting behavior that constitutes bullying per the CU System policy, HR will work with that employee and their supervisor to address the issue through campus disciplinary protocols.

In the situation where a scenario involves both a CIRES and federal employee, it is more complicated in that, while we can access university resources, the university policies do not apply to non-CU employees. In those situations, CIRES HR will work with the reporting employee to understand the issue/concern and then work to partner with respective federal colleagues to ensure 1) they are aware of the situation and 2) report it as appropriate through their leadership chain. If the perpetrator is a federal employee, we further work to see if this can be addressed through performance protocols or other mechanisms on the federal side. Depending on the situation, CIRES may consider the feasibility of extracting our CIRES employee from the situation (temporarily or permanently).