How to Deal With Gender Discrimination in the Workplace

How well you deal with gender discrimination is mostly decided by what you do in the first week. Acknowledge the report quickly and say what happens next. Silence is what turns a manageable complaint into a formal one.

Assess the seriousness before choosing a process. Not every matter needs a full investigation, but the person raising it should know which path you have chosen and why. Use someone without a stake in the outcome, keep the complainant informed, and give the respondent a fair chance to answer. Make clear to everyone involved that retaliation against a person who complains or gives evidence is a separate breach in its own right.

Then close the loop. Record the decision, fix the practice that allowed it, and check months later that the change stuck. A matter that ends with an outcome but no change to the underlying practice tends to come back.

Since December 2023 the positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act has expected prevention, not response alone. The Australian Human Rights Commission sets out what it expects. This is general information rather than legal advice.

See Sentrient’s equal employment opportunity course and sexual harassment course.