Workplace Gender Equality Agency report highlights need for more employer action to prevent sexual harassment

One in four employers is still failing to monitor the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace, a damning report has revealed.

Results released on Monday by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency review the initiatives employers have put in place since the Federal Government created a positive duty on employers to stamp out sexual harassment in their workplaces.

The requirement stemmed from a key recommendation in the Respect@Work Report, which was handed down by the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2020.

The Agency said the results showed that even though many employers have put work into reducing sexual harassment and discrimination, more work needs to be done.

While nearly 99 per cent of employers had a formal policy on work-related sexual harassment and discrimination, 28 per cent were not monitoring how prevalent it was.

“While we are seeing comprehensive policy coverage, this is only a critical first step,” WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge said.

“Long-term culture change within organisations also requires employees and company leaders to know the policy, understand what’s in it and the part they play in its implementation.

“One of the insights from the Respect@Work Report is that proactive engagement by leadership is critical for long-term change. WGEA’s new results show that most CEOs are highly engaged in reviewing, signing off on and then communicating these policies (85 per cent), however just over half (55 per cent) of their boards are similarly involved.”

The results also revealed that only 25 per cent of chief executives communicated their organisation’s expectations with new staff during their induction. Just 9 per cent did so ahead of big events such as Christmas parties.

“While employers are training employees with the knowledge and understanding to respond to complaints, employers also now have a responsibility to stop sexual harassment before it starts,” Ms Wooldridge said.

“Our results indicate CEOs and Boards can play more of a role in proactively enabling a safe and respectful culture by communicating the employer’s expectations more regularly to all employees.”