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In November 2022, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner of Australia, Kate Jenkins launched the Respect@Work website. Commissioner Jenkins highlighted that the initiative “…delivers a much-needed improvement in the way that workplace sexual harassment resources and support are delivered across Australia.”

The Respect at Work portal was developed  in response to recommendation 48 of the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces, as an initiative of the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Respect@Work Council. It compiles a range of useful, informative resources to help workers and employers prevent and respond to workplace sexual harassment, including best-practice guides, training materials, tools, fact sheets, and videos.

Here are our favourite resources so far…

Downloadable infographics on workplace sexual harassment

These free, printable PDFs use key data and stories submitted by workers with lived experience as part of Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian workplaces.

Many Australian workers find it hard to define sexual harassment and are unfamiliar with the broad spectrum of sexual harassment, prevalence and nature of workplace sexual harassment, and its negative impacts. These infographics provide useful, visual summaries on a range of topics, including:

What does sexual harassment look like?

Workplace sexual harassment is bad for business

The impacts of workplace sexual harassment

The financial cost of workplace sexual harassment

Consider printing these informative resources to share with your colleagues or display in common spaces.

An interactive tool for workers to understand their options for seeking help

This tool enables Australian workers to access relevant, up-to-date information on external avenues to assess their options and make an informed decision on what steps they may wish to take.

This process takes 15-20 minutes total, with the tool asking a series of questions such as where and when the harassment occurred, whether you are still employed in the same workplace, what your work status is, and your expected outcome/s. Each of your answers will refine the information provided, generating a list of agencies to better suit your needs and experience.

The tool also provides a list of support services such as legal services, mental health services, advocacy services, and services for specific groups of workers, such as workers with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers, and young workers.

Guidance resources for employers to build organisational sexual harassment knowledge and strategy

Australian employers have obligations to provide a safe workplace without risks to health and safety, and as a result, should adopt preventative, rather than reactive, measures to better support workers and build better workplace culture.

Using a holistic approach, the ‘For Organisations’ section of the portal provides information to better prevent and respond to workplace sexual harassment. With four domains for prevention – leadership, risk assessment and transparency, culture, and knowledge – and three for response – support, reporting and measuring, Australian employers will be able to work towards building a safe, harassment-free workplace using a person-centered approach.

To learn more about employer obligations as part of the Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Bill 2022, Future Women’s Respect@Work: Unpacking the new legislation for employers webinar is a useful resource also hosted on the portal’s Resource Hub.

The Respect@Work website provides valuable, informative and easily accessible information on a range of topics related to workplace sexual harassment prevention and response for workers and organisations across Australia.

We recommend taking some time to explore all the sections in the portal before using the Respect@Work eLearning modules to put your knowledge to the test!