Natural Sciences now has a Code of Conduct

Nat should be free from any form of harassment, i.e. abusive, intimidating, humiliating, or demeaning behaviour. The Code of Conduct includes examples of behaviours that contribute to creating a positive work environment.  Click here to read the Code of Conduct (au.dk).

The groundwork for the code were laid at the annual theme discussion between the faculty management team and the Committee for Diversity and Gender Equality at Nat. After the discussion, the Committee for Diversity and Gender Equality and PhD students from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics drafted a document that has become Nat's own Code of Conduct.

Daniel Otzen, professor at the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO) and chair of Committee for Diversity and Gender Equality at Nat, was a member of the working group behind the code. In the following section, he answers questions about the Code of Conduct at Nat:

Why does Nat need its own Code of Conduct?

"We need to show that we're serious about being a great place to work. The code is a guideline for individual employees, both to inform them of their rights as a wronged party at the faculty, but also to act as a guide on how to create a good and safe working community.

It's not that natural science researchers have a particular way of behaving compared to others. It’s just that the process of developing a Code of Conduct itself has been healthy."

The code is highly detailed - why?

"The code is detailed because we want to be clear about what we mean and what we’re talking about when it comes to maintaining and developing a healthy work culture. If the code wasn’t detailed then we don’t think it’d be useful as a tool."

How do you and the working group want it to be used at the departments?

"I hope that our colleagues will read it and actively implement it at the departments, for example by commenting on it, adapting it to local conditions and otherwise making sure that people are aware it exists. The code should be considered the minimum of what employees need to be aware of in daily interactions with colleagues.

The code shouldn’t be seen as yet another burdensome bureaucratic exercise, but everyone should be aware that it exists.

The important take-away from the code is that you can have a highly productive and intense work environment that’s also fun and pleasant to be a part of because everyone speaks and behaves properly towards each other.”