Boards, directors, governance and workplace sexual harassment

Preventing workplace sexual harassment and assault must be grounded in understanding, and responding positively to, the experiences of those who have lived it. Read our Founder Karen Iles perspectives on workplace sexual harassment and assault featured in the September edition Australian Institute of Company Directors magazine. The article FIFO Fumbling examines the systemic failures of workplace safety, culture, governance and regulation as well as what a positive duty may mean for board directors.

"Boards and management should have an obligation to keep their workplace free of sexual harassment, but I don't think many directors have a sense of how soon that change is coming or exactly what it means for them." Karen Iles, Director & Principal Solicitor

You can read Karen’s top tips on how Directors can prepare for a new positive duty to prevent Workplace Sexual Harassment. She advises:

• use a trauma-based approach in disclosures and reporting;

• take action;

• address gender inequality; and

• consider lived experience.

At Violet Co Legal & Consulting we are privileged to represent women in the mining industry, and many other industries, who experience workplace sexual harassment, assault and racism.

We support employers, and boards, to understand how they can improve workplace culture and responses to ultimately prevent sexual harassment and assault. We do this from a lived-experience perspective and an understanding of the systemic drivers of sexual harassment and assault; power, gender inequality and other intersecting systems.

Image: Shane McLendon (EN1tF2EG-50 via unsplash)