harassment Archives

Prevention is better than cure

With the year drawing to a close, this is a great time for reflection and review. As the busy holiday season approaches, it’s important to consider HR activities that can set you up for success in the coming year.

Here are four key HR activities to consider as the year ends.

Review culture and teams

Your people are the foundation of your business’s success. You’ve likely heard this mantra many times before, but what does it really mean?

From an HR perspective, it means that your people are vital to your business. The systems, processes, and policies you implement must serve both the business and your people. Use this time of year to reconnect with your teams and hear directly from them about what’s working and what may need to change.

Don’t feel that you must solve every challenge on your own though.

Often, the people on the ground have valuable insights on how best to address the issues that concern them. So, ask open-ended questions that show you are ready and willing to listen to both concerns and suggestions.

When seeking feedback, pay attention to the way in which you ask questions and how people respond.

The more open-ended your question, the more feedback you may receive, which may then lead to discovery of things you were unaware of. Consider the issues from the perspective of the employee or affected party.

Offering several ways of providing feedback — such as town halls, one-on-one meetings, informal chats, and anonymous surveys — can ensure diverse input and encourage greater openness across all levels.

This is also a good time to review current people-related processes and identify opportunities for automation, streamlining, or even, eliminating unproductive steps.

Set ground rules for end-of-year parties and festivities

Parties and celebrations can be a wonderful way to acknowledge your teams’ hard work, celebrate key milestones, and socialise.

However, there’s one thing to keep in mind when an open bar is involved: some inappropriate behaviour may emerge.

Putting your thinking cap on in advance of such celebrations is highly recommended. It pays to pay close attention to the risk of inappropriate behaviour, including aggressive or intimidating conduct, insulting or offensive language or comments, misinformation or malicious rumours, or worse — sexual abuse or harassment.

As an HR manager, you must ensure all managers are aware of their responsibilities during work functions and know how to address issues effectively and promptly. Managers should understand that they are responsible for the wellbeing of everyone who attends festivities and guidance from HR will be invaluable.

Prevention and advance planning are much better than dealing with issues after the fact.

Here are some steps you can take:

Develop plans for minimising the risk of inappropriate behaviour and outline how managers must respond when something untoward happens
Clearly communicate expected behaviours to both managers and employees
Update relevant policies and procedures to reflect current best practices and notify staff of these changes
Monitor alcohol consumption to reduce the risk of incidents and so you can address issues as soon as they arise
Remind staff of key policies prior to the festivities, including guidelines on social media posting and appropriate comments relating to the event
Ensure a prompt and appropriate response to any inappropriate behaviour and have support and resources handy in case these are required
Offer several transport options and arrangements so everyone can get home safely

For more tips, check out my article, What could possibly go wrong?

Acknowledge individual and team wins

Recognising and appreciating the efforts and contributions of your employees can boost morale and ensure they feel positive about the work they engage in.

While gifts are always appreciated, it’s the personal touch and authenticity that wins the day. A well-thought out gift or token, tailored to the individual, can leave a lasting impression and make the recognition more meaningful.

Welcome ideas on talent development planning

In line with the idea that you need not do it all alone, encourage staff to share ideas on talent development. As the year progresses, new challenges and circumstances may shape employees’ growth needs. The year end is a fantastic time to gather input from everyone about what they may need or want in the coming year.

Taking the time to understand their needs early on can help you identify training opportunities, adjustments to development plans, and alternative funding sources, too.

Also, consider revisiting your succession planning.

Identify top performers, potential leaders, and other emerging roles that may not fit traditional career paths. Gathering ideas and interest levels and aligning these with upcoming business priorities can serve as a solid foundation for refining your succession strategy.

In your outreach, be sure to keep communication lines open so that people know they can always reach out with ideas and concerns.

These activities are not intended as an exhaustive list but can offer significant benefits and set you up well as you prepare for the new year.

Wurth HR offers a simple fee structure for looking after all your HR needs in an efficient and cost-effective manner. We provide several consulting and advisory services to help you get started. Drop us any questions at info@wurthhr.com.au. Let’s get started.

#YearEndCelebration #OfficeParties #harassment #compliance

How Employers Must Address Harassment at Work

Prevention, mitigation, and resolution of harassment of any form at work are the employer’s responsibility to ensure a safe workplace for all. Failure to comply with these responsibilities can have devastating consequences.

A snide remark, persistent inappropriate calls after work, touching, groping, or worse – assault – can all be perceived as harassment. According to anti-discrimination laws, harassment is defined as any form of behaviour that is unwanted, offensive, humiliating, or creates a hostile environment.

It can happen to anyone, anytime

What’s important to understand is that harassment need not be an ongoing pattern of behaviour; a single act can still be considered harassment.

In the workplace, harassment can be perpetrated by anyone – a colleague, a leader – whether male or female, regardless of race or age. However, the Australian Government has introduced laws at the federal, state and territory levels to ensure that people are protected from discrimination and harassment.

Some of these laws include the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986, Racial Discrimination Act 1975, Disability Discrimination Act 1992, and the Sex Discrimination Act 1984. See this quick guide to Australian discrimination laws developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

It’s a bigger problem than we think

An ANROWS research study revealed that one in seven Australian adults surveyed admitted to engaging in sexual harassment at work.

Our Watch, leaders in the prevention of violence against women and children in Australia, reports that one in four women have been sexually harassed at work in the past 12 months.

These alarming statistics indicate that employers must take greater precaution and arm themselves with updated information, strategies, and resources to address these issues.

Employers have specific responsibilities regarding workplace harassment, including ensuring a safe workplace and taking reasonable steps to prevent bullying, harassment, and discriminatory conduct.

Individuals have the right to a safe and secure working environment, access to compensation if they suffer work-related injury or illness, and procedural fairness during any administrative processes. Individuals have a responsibility not to bully or harass others and to comply with workplace policies and instructions.

Employers must be proactive and informed

A challenging aspect for employers is vicarious liability. This occurs when an employer is held legally responsible for any act of discrimination or harassment in the workplace or connected to an individual’s employment.

For example, harassment may occur at a company-sponsored workshop, product launch or business trip. It could be carried out using a company laptop or mobile device to send inappropriate text messages or emails. Therefore, employers must take reasonable steps to prevent such behaviours, mitigate harm, and address issues appropriately and promptly.

Employers cannot claim ignorance

If aware of harassment, employers are expected to investigate the complaint and take action. Claiming ignorance does not absolve liability, and failure to act may result in legal consequences.

Take action today

What should employers do?

Good employers demonstrate to managers and employees that they take these issues seriously by fostering a workplace culture that emphasises prevention, detection and early intervention of harassment.

Good employers pay special attention to those most at risk — women, young people, workers in the LGBTQ community, individuals with disabilities, migrant workers or those with temporary visas, and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Good employers set the standard through clear definition of roles and responsibilities, outlining acceptable and unacceptable behaviours, and implementing controls through systems, policies and procedures.

But it does not stop there – this is reinforced through regular monitoring. reporting, and governance.

Regular workplace harassment awareness and training will benefit both employees and managers at all levels. These should never be one-time activities but should be conducted regularly to keep the organisation and its employees informed of changes and developments.

Wurth HR offers workplace harassment awareness and training targeted at HR managers, senior leaders and employees across the enterprise. Contact us if you have questions or require guidance on specific steps your organisation needs to take.

Email David Wurth for an obligation-free discussion at info@wurthhr.com.au