Stopping sexual harassment in workplace vital
IS your organisation keeping up with the rest of the world in removing sexual harassment in the workplace?
Global movements have empowered women and men to speak up and report workplace sexual harassment.
These have been the most publicised movements in recent history that have resulted in convictions and career ruination for the offenders involved.
The issues are not industryspecific but the message is clear and consistent from employees – sexual harassment will not be tolerated and there is global community support to remove it from all workplaces.
Issues with sexual harassment also damage brand reputations and decrease the ability of companies to recruit skilled and engaged employees.
Australia’s NOW initiative is educating victims on their rights when they have experienced sexual harassment.
While organisations need to continue investing in sexual harassment claims, it’s time they shifted strategies to invest more in sexual harassment prevention in the workplace.
There is an opportunity for Human Resource Management (HRM) departments to facilitate this ethical change in behaviour.
HRM is seen as the ethical solution partners in organisations and they need to be the critical drivers, partnering with the executive teams to change behaviours. HRM will lead the way with training the executive leadership teams and managers to facilitate an organisational culture change to develop true role models.
Not only do senior management need to role model the correct behaviours but an organisational culture needs to empower colleagues to speak up, provide confidential channels for employees to report and all complaints need to be taken seriously.
Time is well and truly over for organisational cultures that still contain sexism, boys’ clubs and male-dominated leadership teams.
There is an opportunity for organisations to make positive changes now to reduce their reputational damage and improve
AUSTRALIA’S NOW INITIATIVE IS EDUCATING VICTIMS ON THEIR RIGHTS WHEN THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED SEXUAL HARASSMENT
employee wellbeing in the workplace.
It is a daily focus for employers to reduce workplace injuries and the impact of work health and safety on their employees. Sexual harassment needs to be one of these key focuses. The message is clear to organisations – the days of silence and acceptance of poor behaviour, intimidation and harassment are now over.
Don’t be an organisation that is failing to hear these clear global messages. Organisations that do not speak about removing sexual harassment in the workplace and have no clear policies in place may be left behind and are not driving changes to improve workplace health and safety.