Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Sexual harassment might not be the first thing you think about when you think of making a workplace attractive to potential new employees, or when thinking about retaining current staff. Research conducted by Our Watch shows that 75% of women compared to 44% of men agreed that if they were looking for a new job, the workplace’s approach to gender equality would be an important consideration and 83% of female and 67% of male employees agreed that they would consider leaving a job that didn’t treat workplace sexual harassment as a serious issue. People are becoming increasingly aware of the societal issues that not only affect them but that they are passionate about addressing in all areas of their lives, so they are making more conscious choices about where they work and whether there is an organisational cultural that aligns with their values and beliefs. So not only is it important to let current employees know about your commitment to preventing sexual harassment, but it’s important that this is outwardly visible as well. Addressing workplace sexual harassment and taking positive duty to proactively and meaningfully prevent sexual harassment is now a legal responsibility for employers. Despite this being a legal responsibility there is still a significant gap in people’s knowledge about this, in particular workplace leaders. If leaders are not aware of their responsibilities, then it’s highly likely that appropriate steps are not being taking to create safe, inclusive and respectful workplaces. This requires a shift in the way that workplaces think of their responsibilities to employees and it makes sense that many employers might be unsure of how to approach this. Capacity for Change recognises this which is why we bring expert advice from the Specialist family and domestic violence sector into workplaces. To create attitudinal and cultural change takes time and energy but the positive impacts on the employees, workplace culture and ultimately the wider community is something that is worth investing in.
What does this look like?
Technology facilitated abuse includes; sending texts, emails or through social media, sexist jokes, commenting on the sexual preference or sexual habits of an employee, giving ‘joke’ gifts, asking for sexual favours or repeatedly making unwanted sexual advances. Many victims of sexual harassment do not speak up about their experience due to shame or fear of not being believed or of losing their job. This is particularly important when thinking about First Nations employees, LGBTIQA+ employees or younger employees, who statistically experience workplace sexual harassment at higher rates. Creating a culture of safety is particularly important when encouraging victims to speak out. To do this, it’s important to create cultures of open communication, where issues such as workplace sexual harassment are spoken about openly, where employees are supported to ‘call out’ inappropriate conduct they observe, and meaningful supports are put in place following an incident. It is important to ensure that there are appropriate responses to both the victim and the perpetrator.
To do all of this, there must be real attitudinal shift. The link between workplace gender-based violence and gender inequality is clear, so rather than paying lip service, workplaces must commit to whole of organisational learning and development to truly embed gender equity principles. People spend a lot of their time in the workplace; they often spend more time with their colleagues than with friends or family so it makes sense that they will be influenced by what they see and hear in the workplace. So rather than creating a workplace culture that doesn’t allow sexual harassment, wouldn’t it make sense to create a workplace culture that actively fights against harmful attitudes and beliefs that contribute to gender-based violence and the serious societal issue of family and domestic violence?
How to do this?
Preventing sexual harassment in the workplace takes more than providing one-off training, it requires a whole of organisational responses starting from the top down. Creating workplaces that are free from sexual harassment is about creating a culture of safety, respect and inclusivity.
Employees identified that the following things are important for them in a workplace response:
- Interactive training rather than simply completing an e-learn when they commence, or attending a large training session where they are provided information, but not invited to be active participants in the training.
- Intersectionality in the examples; this means including examples that show the experience of LGBTIQA+ or First Nations employees. It is important that staff can see themselves in the training content rather than examples that exclude them and their unique experience.
- Embedded in training, policy & procedure; a whole of organisation response, rather than one-off events or trainings that aren’t backed up by policy and procedure. It’s important that the organisations stance on sexual harassment is clear and accessible.
- Bystander action, safety planning and reflective practice; these offerings are important for employees to really feel that their employers are taking their safety seriously. Employees want to see that their workplace is invested in their safety and wellbeing.
Employees know what they want from employers and can identify practical and realistic solutions, all of which comply with an employer’s legal responsibilities. So why not truly commit to your positive duty obligations and ensure that your workplace is not only compliant with legal obligations, but on the cutting edge of preventing gender-based violence all while creating a workplace that is safe, inclusive and respectful and a workplace that employees truly want to work and stay at. Preventing gender-based violence is everyone’s responsibility, reach out to Capacity for Change to start your journey today.
References:
Our Watch. (2025, January 30). Sexual harassment response a key issue in attracting and retaining staff, new data shows. Retrieved from https://www.ourwatch.org.au/news/sexual-harassment-response-a-key-issue-in-attracting-and-retaining-staff-new-data-shows [ourwatch.org.au]
ANROWS. (2024, April 30). One in seven Australian adults report engaging in workplace technology-facilitated sexual harassment: New study finds. Retrieved from https://www.anrows.org.au/media-releases/one-in-seven-australian-adults-report-engaging-in-workplace-technology-facilitated-sexual-harassment-new-study-finds [anrows.org.au]
Australian Human Rights Commission. (2020, March 5). Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (2020). Retrieved from https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/publications/respectwork-sexual-harassment-national-inquiry-report-2020
Australian Human Rights Commission. (2022). The Positive Duty in the Sex Discrimination Act. Retrieved from https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/positive-duty-sex-discrimination-act [humanrights.gov.au]
