Extensive Audit: Respect at Work: Sexual Harassment, Bullying, Discrimination (10 Days)

Diversity Australia provides Accredited Audit Services under ISO 30415 Global Standards and ensures your organisation is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and friendly workplace environment, where the contribution of everyone is valued and respected. As part of the audit process we review the level of commitment in your workplace relating to bullying and harassment will not be tolerated ensuring these behaviours do not put at risk the health, safety and wellbeing of all employees.

We review against the standards globally and key legislation and policies which include:
• Audit Office’s Code of Conduct
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• NSW Anti-Discrimination Act 1977
• NSW Industrial Relations Act 1996
• Crimes Act 1990
• Fair Work Act 2009
• Dignity and Respect in the Workplace Charter, Unions NSW, 2013
• The Code of Ethics and Conduct for NSW Government Sector Employees 2015
• Guide for preventing and responding to workplace bullying, Safework Australia 2016

All organisations carry risks for sexual harassment in the workplace. No organisation, however big or small, is immune from the risks of sexual harassment. Where there are power imbalances and gender inequality, there are risks that need to be identified and addressed. An important task, therefore, for all organisations, is to understand how to identify and address risks of sexual harassment that are specific to their workplace.   Without detracting from the core priority of preventing the profound impacts of sexual harassment on an individual’s health and wellbeing, personal finances, and career, it is important also to acknowledge that the occurrence of workplace sexual harassment often has broader financial, productivity, cultural, legal and reputational impacts for organisations.

Traditionally, the term risk assessment has been associated with larger workplaces and allied to work health and safety processes, whereby employers must actively identify, assess and control work hazards that may affect the physical or psychological health and safety of workers. Risk assessment, however, is not something that is only done by large organisations under the banner of work, health and safety, and it need not be too difficult for small organisations to conduct risk assessments specific to sexual harassment. After all, risk assessment is simply about identifying the likelihood of sexual harassment occurring and putting in place actions to eliminate or minimise that risk.

From our Audit under global best practice and the Safe Work Australia frameworks for risk assessment that apply that specifically to sexual harassment our audits focusses on:

• the risk management process for sexual harassment
• identifying workplace sexual harassment in your context
• assessing risks
• controlling and reviewing risks, and
• transparency

Throughout this audit we will refer to the risk management process for sexual harassment and start with the overview of the risk management model and then move onto the other sections for practical tools and resources to help you identify and address risks of sexual harassment in your workplace.