How to Prevent Sexual Harassment

How to prevent sexual harassment is now the question employers are assessed on, rather than how well they responded once something was reported.

The positive duty requires reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate the conduct so far as possible. In practice, four things carry most of the weight.

• Leadership. Senior people who name the issue and act consistently, including when the person involved is valuable.
• Risk assessment. Identifying where in your operation the risk actually sits, rather than treating it as evenly spread.
• Controls at the source. Changing conditions, rosters, alcohol at events, isolated work, reporting lines.
• Support and reporting. More than one way to raise something, including at least one route that bypasses the direct manager entirely.

None of the four is expensive. What they require is a decision about who owns them. The Australian Human Rights Commission publishes the seven standards this is measured against. This is general information rather than legal advice.

See Sentrient’s sexual harassment course and workplace compliance system.