how HR can safeguard employees

The Worker Protection Act will become legislation next year, placing a duty on organisations to protect employees against third-party sexual harassment. It’s a delicate area, but one HR teams can prepare for, explains Samantha Mangwana.

In light of the new duty to prevent sexual harassment, HR teams may be wondering, in a practical sense, what actions to take to support the intentions of the Worker Protection Act.

The Bill, which completed its path through parliament last month, requires employers to “take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of employees”, but doesn’t spell out what those reasonable steps are.

This will, of course, vary from employer to employer – taking into account their differences of size, resources, practicability and ways of working. But, it would be helpful to have a framework, and a sense of where to start.

In Australia, a similar law was passed a year ago, and we have been able to draw some learnings from this already.

Take a deep breath

Firstly, it’s going to be okay. People panic when it comes to dealing with sexual harassment, as if it comes out of nowhere with no warning and there is no place to start. But you can build a methodology that really does work, as I outline below.

Secondly, be clear on your reasons why you’re adapting your approach. To really make a change, you must embody, to yourself and others, that this is not just about compliance with a legal duty; you need crystal clear certainty at senior…