5 Strategies to encourage reporting of sexual harassment within the workplace

It is important to encourage reporting of sexual harassment within the workplace, as it is a serious psychological hazard. It is illegal in Australia, all states/territories have strict laws to restrain and punish the perpetrator.

The #MeToo movement around the world has confirmed that before the move many incidents of sexual harassment have not been appropriately reported, and many organisations have encouraged survivors to voice their stories. This comes up with real horror stories.

Unlike other cases of workplace hazards, sexual harassment seems to be less reported. Have you thought about why sexual harassment cases are underreported?

The relationship between the harassment and the victim often determines the chances of reporting and what may be reported if the perpetrator is a stranger.

Procrastination

Some survivors feel strong after the harassment but are afraid to contact the police. For some survivors, the decision not to report at first is a delay or a postponement, as many need time to process their feelings after the attack. However, over time, they may develop a reluctance to deal with the situation. Finally, some decide to move on and never report the harassment.

Fear of retaliation

In the workplace, fear of retaliation may be the fear of not being promoted, or even fired. Revenge is also a major fear among victims of military sexual harassment in a government agency. Fear of retaliation can include physical harassment, such as when a woman fear being beaten by her ex-partner.

Shame related to reporting

Sexual harassment is a humiliating and degrading event. Many survivors of sexual harassment are critical of themselves, mistakenly believing that the distorted views that elevate the victim somehow deserve to be judged based on what they wear or what they should drink. This is a completely absurd way of thinking.

Victims of sexual harassment may have feelings of inadequacy, humiliation can cause psychological consequences for life.

Victims who have previously reported sexual harassment to a person or authorities and who have not taken any serious action may feel that they have no place to turn.

Sexual harassment not only affects an employee’s well-being but can also reduce productivity and quality of work, costing businesses large amounts of revenue each year. A business needs to be able to develop a culture of communication that allows managers to deal with problems when they arise.

The following are steps that can help you to encourage your victim to report sexual harassment

1. Discard the policy of zero intolerance

Tolerance policies are widely accepted but in many cases can harm the promotion of harassment reports. Studies show that most victims of bullying do not want to lose their job as a result of the harassment report, they just want to quit.

Adopting corrective and compliance policies can be a very effective way to ensure that employees are confident that they are committed to eliminating harassment.

2. Prevent retaliation

The organisation should monitor cases after reporting and should take strong action against any form of retaliation as this may discourage people who report sexual harassment cases.

3. Collect data for reporting

If your organisation is already communicating to employees that communication is encouraged, but you rarely find your employees talking about misconduct, one of the best things you can do is check why. Understanding the barriers to reporting will help you understand when people are not talking because they are unaware of anti-bullying policies or because of something else.

4. Transparency

One of the main reasons for poor reporting is the belief that nothing will be done. This makes transparency very important. Reports and investigations of reported cases should be shared, and follow-up meetings to keep stakeholders informed of the consequences. This is an important step in building trust and promoting a culture of communication.

5. Anonymous reporting software

Reporting a sexual harassment incident can be a daunting task for anyone, so the process needs to be as simple as possible. A long-winded process with paper forms may turn people away and a formal face-to-face reporting process may have the same effect as it requires greater courage to speak. By investing in anonymous reporting software employees will be empowered to speak.

6. Use an effective reporting system

Reporting harassment requires the survivor to relive the trauma of his or her experience. If the reporting process is complex and full of paperwork, employees are less likely to report it.

7. Anonymous Surveys

An anonymous survey helps employees gain confidence in speaking and helps the organisation monitor the well-being of its employees and helps determine their focus.

Organisations should train their employees about training for prevention and how to deal with sexual harassment cases. Employers should plan the reporting process, and ensure that employees know what to expect.

Corporate WHS Education Programs

Corporate WHS training, also known as Corporate WHS Education or more recently Workplace Learning, is a system of events designed to instruct and develop employees in WHS. While it aids employers, it is also valuable for employees as it helps them attain staff, and improve knowledge and skills to progress professionally and personally.

Any company that invests in employee learning and development is advancing in their own WHS success. By providing ongoing WHS training employers are creating a workplace that is adaptive, flexible, and equipped for change.

Delivering on corporate WHS training program is an important step in building a genuine management strategy.

While there are many WHS training programs available, a few core courses are essential to your employees’ success at work. We listed the top five corporate WHS training programs that every employee should take.

Workplace Resiliency

It’s important that companies offer their employees, including everyone they recruit – not just supervisors and managers. Developing a Resilient Mindset training often indicate strong organisational culture as being among the most important company aspects valued by employees. By developing your employees’ skills at an early stage, you’ll equip them with the knowledge they need to take on challenges with success in the future.

Workplace Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

 Ineffective workplace bullying and harassment prevention training programs can often lead to negative work relationships and can affect a company’s bottom line. Whether it’s a face-to-face or online sexual harassment prevention training, every employee should have an understanding of workplace sexual harassment and how to prevent it within the workplace, and encourage reporting of sexual harassment within the workplace. A prevention course will help your team develop the essential skills they need.

Workplace Bullying and Harassment Prevention Training:  Today’s workplaces are diverse, and workplaces need to make sure their teams understand workplace diversity and how to overcome the issues. Prevention will help your organisation to enhance your employees’ knowledge and give them the tools they need to embrace diversity in the workplace.

Corporate Communication and HBDI Profile (Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument)

For every organisation, communication is a valuable but limited resource. It is a key to success, yet many employees lack the skillset required to communicate effectively. This results in stress, missed deadlines, poor workplace performance and high staff turnover. Corporate communication and HBDI profile training provides techniques and tools that will help your employees understand HBDI profile, their thinking preferences, focused, and be more productive every day. Employers that offer Corporate Communication and HBDI Profile are more efficient and better equipped for the challenges and problems of the continuously developing corporate environment.

Mental Health First Aid Training

Another training that there is increasing awareness of in the corporate world is the need to be responsive to employees’ mental health, wellness and well-being. Caring and supporting employees is not only the right thing morally and legally, but is one of the very best avenues to assist staff.

At WHS and Training Compliance Solutions Pty Ltd, we have a genuine aspiration to make a difference to your workplace. We’re a leading corporate WHS training program provider – small to large organisations.

We’ve helped 1000s of customers in Australia become more productive and efficient.

Our team of WHS training experts are passionate trainers who understand every aspect of staff learning and development, and compliance.

Find out how our corporate WHS training programs can help your people grow.

Register and improve your employee experience with an effective learning and development programs that increase your productivity, boost staff morale and save you valuable talent.

Check out our online course marketplace at ispringmarket and instantly register your staff.

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