UNIFY GUIDE: Assistance and Support in the Case of Conflicts and Misconduct

To be easily reachable, trustworthy contact persons, available when members of the university seek support in conflict situations or when suffering harassment, bullying, stalking or discrimination – that is the task of the roughly 70 guides who have just taken up their voluntary assignment at Heidelberg University. They are spread out over the university, can be approached directly on site, and offer to guide persons seeking advice in stressful situations through the university’s assistance system. The new volunteer network is part of “GUIDE – Procedure for Professional Handling of Conflicts and Misconduct”, a program designed by UNIFY, the university’s central Unit for Family, Diversity and Equality.

“With GUIDE we create easy-access opportunities and clear structures for making contact. No one should be left alone in a stressful situation,” underlines Charlotte von Knobelsdorff, the director of UNIFY. The new guides have been given specific training to refer advice-seekers to appropriate contact units and counseling services. “Many of those concerned find it hard to seek assistance in the case of conflicts or misconduct. As the initial contact persons, the especially trained guides make this step easier by sharing information in confidential conversations about where to go for counseling, support and assistance,” adds Ute Pfründer, who coordinates the GUIDE program at UNIFY.

An important basis for appreciative and fair relations at Heidelberg University is the Senate guideline “Acting in Partnership”. The GUIDE program was developed in a comprehensive participatory process at the university. Its core element is the independent Central Contact Unit as a key communications interface. It provides guidance for the advice-seekers and their guides, coordinates counseling processes and can, if desired, make direct contact with other offices for further stages of assistance and support, or to obtain a legal opinion. The Central Contact Unit is also responsible for training sessions like those in which the volunteer guides take part.

The aim of GUIDE is to deal with difficulties and misconduct appropriately through a broad network of contact units and contact persons, so that people can work, study and teach at Heidelberg University free of discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and stalking, and conflicts can be constructively resolved.