Guidelines for Healthy Workplace Boundaries

Supportive and healthy relationships are integral to our mission as a Christian Learning Community. We believe and cherish the notion as stated in our Catalog that "we are likely to achieve more together than we could in isolation." In order to do this, our classrooms, co-curricular activities, and workplace environments must be places where attitudes and behaviors build trust and nourish confidence that we who bear God's image will be treated with respect.

Many of our relationships are equal in terms of status, rank, responsibilities, and authority, but many others are not equal. While individuals are always accountable for their own behavior and boundary keeping, this is especially true in relationships of unequal power (e.g., supervisor/supervisee; teacher /student). Those who have formal power (e.g., classroom assessment, advising, mentoring, counseling, job performance evaluation) or informal power (e.g., age) are always responsible to look after the well-being of those who do not have this power. Sexual or racial harassment incidents are specific examples of abuse of this power. Definitions and procedures for handling such incidents are further outlined in the Handbook.

Whether we have formal job responsibilities (e.g., as with Faculty advising Students or a Resident Director counseling a student) or informal relationships (e.g., a Coach mentoring a team member; a dean giving advice about personal matters) which include mentoring, advising, and counseling, care must be taken to operate within the following parameters:

1. Commit yourself to develop and maintain a culture of mutual respect, trust, and accountability.  When in doubt about the appropriateness of a relationship you observe, address the person and /or their supervisor to assess that situation and establish a plan.
2. Cultivate a personal sense of awareness. Be willing to reflect on the appropriateness of your relationships, especially those of unequal power.
3. Develop discernment when discussing deeply personal and complex life situations with students and colleagues. At times, one conversation can indicate a serious problem you are not equipped to handle. At other times, the emergence of problems or the awareness of difficulty for you may take several conversations. In either case consult with and/or refer to the Director of Counseling or a member of the Counseling Staff at the College of Arts and Sciences or with a member of the Pastoral Care or Marriage and Family Faculty at the Seminary.
4. When concerned about the direction a conversation has taken, about whether or not a boundary has been crossed or about the appropriateness of a relationship, consult with a colleague, your Supervisor/Department Chair, member of the Counseling Center, member of the Pastoral Care or Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty (at the Seminary) and/ or the Office of People and Culture to develop a plan of action.
5. Be mindful that meeting times, places and content of discussions are appropriate to the type of relationship you have (e.g., at times coffee off campus may be appropriate, at other times not).
6. If you believe that a significant boundary has been violated, you must consult with your appropriate supervisor/department chair as soon as possible. In an emergency, or if you are not sure to whom a report should be made, contact the Office of People and Culture.

The above guidelines are meant to assist our community in its journey toward becoming the kind of culture where all can feel secure and flourish.

SPECIAL NOTE:  Please read excerpt from Sexual Misconduct policy which states:

CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIPS

Intimate or romantic relationships between employees, or between employees and students, even when within the bounds of acceptable Christian conduct, may nonetheless pose potentially serious moral, ethical, and legal concerns to the individuals and to Bethel.

Where a power differential between the parties exists, even consensual relationships may constitute sexual misconduct if the effect of such a relationship interferes with an individual‘s academic or professional performance or if it creates an intimidating environment. Further, conflicts of interest or breaches of professional ethics may arise if one party to the relationship evaluates the work or academic performance of the other, during the relationship or even after it ends. This includes situations in which a faculty member teaches a student or employee with whom he or she has had a relationship.

Employees are cautioned that such relationships could potentially result in a sexual misconduct charge, and could result in the individual with the power in the relationship bearing the burden of responsibility.

Bethel recommends that where such relationships develop, the individual in a position of authority notify his or her supervisor and that he or she surrenders responsibility for evaluation or supervision of the other party. Further, where an employee is called upon to supervise an individual with whom he or she has had a past romantic relationship, he or she should discuss the situation with a supervisor. Bethel discourages romantic relationships between faculty members and students, and discourages faculty members teaching students with whom they have or have had an intimate or romantic relationship.