Bullying and intimidation: confidential advisors received a lot more reports

The social and organisational Integrity Confidential Advisors were busy in 2024. They had to process 545 reports compared to 340 the previous year, a rise of 60%. This is given in their annual report 2024 that was published on 27 May.

The number of reports about bullying jumps out. These rose from 70 to 142. They mostly concerned ‘managerial bullying’, in other words, bullying by supervisors. Intimidation was also reported more: 103 times compared to 61 in 2023.

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Peak after 1 March

The Confidential Advisors saw a peak in the number of reports in the months after 1 March. This was the day on which the damning Inspectorate of Education report was released in which it accused TU Delft of mismanagement regarding social safety and the care of employees.

But the number of reports was also high after summer. They also saw situations become more complex. The Confidential Advisors say that this points to ‘a growing awareness of social safety issues’, but also to ‘deep rooted structural challenges’ at TU Delft.

A culture of non-commitment

Along with the Inspectorate and the trade unions, the Confidential Advisors also point to structural problems. They mention the vulnerable position of PhD candidates, supervisors’ inability to provide support or to overcompensate, and a ‘culture of non-commitment’ leading to procedures not always being followed properly.

They express concern on several issues. One of these is that, despite all sorts of measures, they see confusion among complainants about the ‘fragmented landscape’ of referral desks.

‘Align the annual reports of all social partners within the TU network more effectively’

The Confidential Advisors also observed ‘a worrying increase’ in the number of reports of supervisors who are accused of transgressive behaviour or a lack of integrity. ‘They feel prematurely and unfairly accused without being heard.’

25 recommendations

In their annual report, the Confidential Advisors make 25 recommendations to the Executive Board, deans and directors. They believe that supervisors should be held responsible for their performance vis-à-vis social safety. The remuneration system should also give greater value for what the Confidential Advisors see as essential skills such as communication and cultural awareness.

Their last recommendation is the most striking one. ‘Align the annual reports of all social partners within the TU network more effectively by identifying common themes and findings.’ The fragmentation that this hopes to address is also something that the Inspectorate of Education pointed to, but is apparently not yet put into practice.

Ombudsperson for staff

At the same time as the Confidential Advisors’ annual report went online, so did the annual reports of the Ombudspersons. The ombudsperson for staff received 137 reports last year compared to 101 in 2023. She writes that just like then she sees that cases are increasing in scale, both in terms of content and numbers. Most of them concerned conflicts between individuals (52 reports), TU Delft’s operations (48), and integrity and behaviour (46).

The Ombudsperson for staff observed that things go wrong in the reintegration of sick staff members. She refers to ‘a perceived lack of clarity with respect to goals and poor coordination with sick employees’. One of her three new recommendations covers this: make clear agreements and communicate clearly during the reintegration process.

Ombudsperson for students

The ombudsperson for students received 30 reports in 2024, states the annual report  (compared to 17 in 2023 and 32 in 2022). A relatively high number of them were about international students from outside Europe. Of the reports, 13 were about incorrect or unfair rules and policies, or their implementation, and seven about undesirable behaviour.

The number of reports from students is so low that the Ombudsperson cannot see trends. Still, she calls for attention to be paid and support to be provided to three groups of students: graduating students, students with a functional impairment, and study and student associations that want to handle transgressive behaviour, including sexually transgressive behaviour, better.

Executive Board response

As is customary, the Executive Board responded to the annual reports of the Confidential Advisors and the Ombudsperson in a letter. In it, the Executive Board refers to ‘valuable advice and practical points’. ‘The annual reports are an important source of information and ideas to further building an ethical and socially safe university.’