What do the new Respect@Work laws mean for your organisation?

15/12/2022

The Respect@Work laws set a new gold standard for tackling workplace sexual harassment – and place significant onus on leaders’ actions. So what are the insights on key lessons for senior managers, CEOs and directors with the passing of these new laws, and what can boards do to ensure they are proactively promoting an anti-bullying culture?

 

Women on Boards’ Claire Braund said leaders need to foster the right culture to properly implement the new Respect@Work laws in their organisation.

Speaking to The Governance Institute of Australia about the major takeaways for all workplaces following the passage of the Respect@Work legislation, Claire said building a strong compliance culture can be a vehicle for educating workers about their Respect@Work rights and responsibilities.

‘No matter how robust your strategic plan is, it can only succeed if the habitat in which it operates (the culture) is vibrant, healthy and respectful,” Claire said.

“Arguments that ‘a bit of friendly workforce banter’ has always been part of how we do things around here, does not make it an acceptable cultural practice.’

‘Having a culture of compliance means that every employee knows and understands the rules and, more importantly, embraces their part in ensuring that they are followed. In other words, don’t see the positive duty as a further impost or a ‘compliance’ or legal matter but as a way of providing a safe workplace with a positive and productive culture to employees and others who work in their workplaces.”

The Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Bill 2022, that passed through Federal Parliament recently after the government prioritised the adoption of recommendations by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, has brought with it a raft of changes with implications for all organisations.

Read the full article HERE.

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