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Heading into 2025, minimising and eradicating sexual harassment in the workplace is a major directive for Australian businesses, yet some are going about it the wrong way.
A recent study by SafeSpace@elevate has revealed some rather harrowing statistics, finding that 77 per cent of young LGBTI Australians have been sexually harassed in the workplace, while 75 per cent have chosen not to report their experiences.
HR Leader recently spoke to Prabha Nandagopal, founder at SafeSpace@elevate, about how businesses can approach amending the processes that are supposed to minimise sexual harassment and similar behaviour in the workplace.
“Too often, businesses invest in reporting tools, but they go unused, under-used, or misused because those tools, and the processes and systems around them, are not designed with the primary purpose of minimising harm. Instead, businesses regularly prioritise the need to minimise potential legal ramifications or negative impacts on their brand and reputation,” Nandagopal said.
“These priorities need to be flipped. Until they are, everyday employees are being put at risk. This risk is particularly high for people of marginalised backgrounds, including young people and LGBTQIA+ people, and for employees in high-risk environments where there are strong internal hierarchies, significant gender imbalances across the workforce, or where significant power is given to certain people or teams over others.”
According to Nandagopal, businesses must lead the drastic and immediate change that is needed to create the safe and respectful workplaces that employees across Australia deserve, claiming that an excuse-free approach should be a key strategy.
“As the research shows, businesses need to be leading drastic and immediate change, if they want to be creating safe and respectful workplaces for young and LGBTQIA+ employees. This should start with recognising the importance of a top-down approach,” Nandagopal said.
“Leadership needs to pay attention and act now. Secondly, accept that the current reporting processes aren’t working and make a change. Anonymous, trauma-informed and inclusive reporting tools do exist, though, unfortunately, [they] are not the norm. Leaders need to do their homework and invest in tools that are purposely designed by experts.”
“Thirdly, stop making excuses. Take action that protects not just your most vulnerable employees but your business as a whole. Businesses are now legally required to take a proactive stance to build safe workspaces, and there is quickly dwindling forgiveness for businesses that do not take their positive duty seriously.”
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Harassment is defined as persistent behaviour or acts that intimidate, threaten, or uncomfortably affect other employees at work. Because of anti-discrimination laws and the Fair Work Act of 2009, harassment in Australia is prohibited on the basis of protected characteristics.
Kace O'Neill
Kace O'Neill is a Graduate Journalist for HR Leader. Kace studied Media Communications and Maori studies at the University of Otago, he has a passion for sports and storytelling.
