Hey, bully! I am calling you out.
I am not going to let you bully, harass or threaten the rest of the team here at this wonderful organisation. It has taken years to build this organisation and grow our team.
Everyone knows that sexual harassment and bullying can truly destroy a business, not to mention people’s lives. So I will do whatever it takes to protect the business we’ve built.
I know that the most important thing we need to do in operating this business is to remain proactive and mindful about everything that goes on inside. We need effective systems, processes and procedures that highlight our culture, what we will allow and what we will not. We need to walk the talk which means being clear about the consequences of actions we will not tolerate.
I know that it is simply not enough to draft a policy on this issue. It is not enough to provide random 15-minute videos for new starters to watch.
So you can expect that we will have regular team meetings on this issue. We will ensure that senior management and managers across all levels display and promote the behaviours we seek to enforce and support.
We will continue to encourage whistleblowing as a key element in this strategy. We understand how emotionally charged these situations can be, we know our people expect us to lead the way and we know that we need to display good behaviour.
And ultimately, all these actions, policies and procedures serve one goal – to provide a safe work environment for our people.
Our people will always be our top priority. There is no business, there is no growth or success or moving forward without our people.
For this reason:
- we do everything in our power to create a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace
- we provide resources, support and education to support our organisation and our people to better understand, prevent and address workplace harassment and
- we take our legal obligations seriously, ensuring that we maintain our positive duty to prevent workplace harassment and victimisation.
So this is what you can expect at our workplace:
- clear leadership on these issues including effective risk assessment and transparency
- regularly reviewed clear, written guidelines and protocols that outline our policies on preventing and responding to workplace harassment
- clear articulation of what constitutes workplace harassment and the ways in which this may occur
- consistent written communication and regular training for everyone on these guidelines and policies
- a thorough and transparent investigation process of any complaints as well as robust reporting and measuring activities.
For this reason, do not even think you will get away with anything here. Do not think that your bad behaviour will be tolerated and that swift action will not be taken. Be very clear about what we consider to be threatening, unreasonable or abusive behaviour or even violence in the workplace.
There is no place in our organisation for someone like you.
Your General Manager
Wurth HR offers Workplace Harassment Awareness Training in the form of corporate in-house workshops. These are interactive 3-hour workshops available face-to-face or online. The training focusses on detection, prevention, mitigation and management of workplace harassment and bullying.
▶ Contact David Wurth on 1300 900 741.