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(Antidiscrimination) Advice & Support Services for Employees at Freie Universität Berlin

If you work at Freie Universität, for example as a research associate, professor, lecturer, administrative staff member, student assistant, or apprentice/trainee, you are welcome to contact the following services. In most cases, confidentiality is guaranteed. That means that the information you share will only be given to third parties with your explicit consent. If you are uncertain, don’t hesitate to ask if confidentiality and/or your anonymity will be respected.

If you wish to meet with someone of the same gender, please let the office know. They will honor your request where possible.

Advice and support services are always voluntary and free of charge. You also have the right to be accompanied by someone you trust. The person does not have to be a member of the university.

Services at Freie Universität What happens when I contact one of these services? External Services

Services at Freie Universität

Here you can find an overview of the services, organized according to diversity dimensions and areas of specialization.

In addition to the services listed here, you can also talk to your supervisor/line manager or your HR officer in Division I: Personnel about incidents involving discrimination or other conflicts.

However, please note that in certain situations, they will not be able to guarantee confidentiality due to their specific responsibilities. Depending on the circumstances, they may have to take action without your consent: Managers and others in leadership positions have a duty of care and must therefore intervene in order to protect their staff if necessary, even if that person would prefer that no action be taken. The wishes of the person affected by the incident will be respected whenever possible. Every effort will also be made to ensure that they are informed of any actions taken and will not suffer any negative consequences that might impact their personal or professional lives.

There are also other services available at Freie Universität that provide assistance with topics not directly associated with diversity and antidiscrimination. Overview of occupational health services (in German)

What happens when I contact one of these services?

Usually, the first thing that happens is that a service staff member will listen to your concerns and discuss the situation with you. They will help you think about how to assess the situation, what your needs and wishes are and how you might achieve them. They might also help you write up a summary of what took place and/or provide you with information about other relevant services and courses of action.

If you expressly wish to pursue further steps, the staff member can also help you plan them. No action should be taken without your explicit consent.

The staff member could, for example, accompany you to meetings with other offices (including meetings with your supervisor/line manager or HR officer), provide further advice, and help represent your interests if you wish.

Depending on the severity of the incident, the specific circumstances, and the service office’s scope of authority and responsibility, they might discuss with you whether one or more of the following steps could be useful:

  • Speak with your supervisor or the supervisor of the person accused of committing the act in question.
  • Speak directly with the person accused of committing the act in question (possibly facilitated by a third person)
  • Further support from other services either at the university or elsewhere.
  • A conflict resolution or mediation process carried out by a qualified professional.

You may request the aid of an interpreter if you wish.

If these steps do not resolve the problem or appear insufficient due to the severity of the incident, the service staff member might notify Division I: Personnel or the head of the appropriate administrative office or unit – with your consent. They might also help you submit a formal complaint, for example through the Complaint Center for Employees pursuant to Section 13 AGG (General Equal Treatment Act).

External Advice & Support Services

The diversity website is a work in progress, so your feedback or suggestions for content would be much appreciated: diversity@fu-berlin.de