Behaviour and Conduct Office – update
We are continuing to make good progress towards establishing our permanent Behaviour and Conduct(external link) (BCO) office. This is a key step in addressing bullying and harassment and building a respectful and positive workplace culture in our organisation.
Once fully established the BCO will be a self-contained team accountable for proactively setting standards, providing education, data and intelligence to prevent unwanted behaviour. It will also manage complaints to address unwanted behaviour and work with individuals to restore positive working relationships following a complaint.
We consulted on the permanent BCO from 3 December 2020 to 28 January 2021 and announced our decision(external link) on 22 April 2021. As we’ve previously indicated, the permanent BCO structure will be phased in. As part of this process we are now completing an independent external assessment to make sure the procedures and structures that have been developed will meet the intended purpose. We will use this assessment as an opportunity to make sure everything is in place to ensure it is properly established and that the appropriate safeguards are embedded.
We take complaints of unwanted behaviour very seriously. Bullying and harassment of any kind does not support our values or expectations of each other and have no place at Fire and Emergency. If you or someone you are supporting has experienced bullying or harassment behaviour, you can contact our Behaviour and Conduct Office (BCO(external link)) to seek information, get advice or raise a complaint. This Portal page also includes information on the range of support services available to our people.
You can contact the BCO by:
- Calling 0800 470 951 (available Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm)
- Emailing bco@fireandemergency.nz