Targeted education

Specific groups in your organisation may require or benefit from targeted education tailored to address their special responsibilities, needs or experiences. These include: 

Boards: All directors should be educated on the prevention of and response to sexual harassment and accompanying issues relating to gender, safety and trauma. The education should be trauma informed, people centred and targeted at building skills on best practice governance to prevent and address sexual harassment in the workplace. In addition, it is considered beneficial if a Board has at least one member with sophisticated and specialist skills, knowledge and experience on gender and workplace culture issues and/or effective prevention and management of sexual harassment. 

Those who are officers under WHS laws should have training on their duty to exercise due diligence to ensure the organisation is meeting its duty to manage the risk of sexual harassment

CEOs and executive management/senior leaders: Senior leaders and executive management teams should be educated on sexual harassment, gender, safety, trauma and good governance to develop their knowledge and understanding so they can:

• provide adequate oversight on sexual harassment 
• exercise sound judgement and decision making regarding sexual harassment matters

Those senior leaders or executive management team members with specialist responsibilities, such as Human Resources executives, should undergo additional education that builds their skills and knowledge regarding the nature, drivers and impacts of sexual harassment and steps to address it in accordance with this Framework and Respect@Work.

Those who are officers under WHS laws should have training on their duty to exercise due diligence to ensure the organisation is meeting its duty to manage the risk of sexual harassment

People leaders: People leaders are often the first contact and/or primary support for a worker who has been sexually harassed. They also play a critical role in role modelling behaviours, reinforcing expectations, calling out poor behaviours and normalising discussions about sexual harassment. Specific training should be provided to equip leaders with the expertise to effectively carry out those responsibilities, including having open discussions about sexual harassment.

Specialist advisers: These include HR professionals, first responders, WHS teams, investigators, contact officers, lawyers, and others responsible for receiving and handling reports of sexual harassment and supporting workers. Those with specialist roles should be provided with specific education to equip them with expertise to:

• receive, triage and handle reports of sexual harassment in a person-centred and trauma informed manner that causes no further harm
• be effective and efficient in their handling of reports
• support a range of resolution options
• apply the WHS risk management process to eliminate or minimise the risk of sexual harassment at work

New starters: Onboarding and induction into the business must include appropriate sexual harassment education, and highlight that induction is only the beginning of that education.

Vulnerable workers: Those groups who are at higher risk of experiencing sexual harassment, such as young workers, workers with disabilities, ethnically diverse backgrounds, migrant workers, remote workers, and workers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, may benefit from education programs being tailored to address their needs.  The transient workforce, which has sometimes been excluded from workplace training programs such as casuals, contractors, labour hire workers, consultants and external advisers, should also be required to undertake training. Further, additional training in assertiveness and/or self-defence may also be relevant for women, especially those with client or customer facing roles.