Research by the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) found while 85 per cent of ASX 300 directors believed the prevention of workplace sexual harassment,and other forms of discrimination,was a high-priority issue for their boards – up from 19 per cent two years ago – only 38.5 per cent of directors were fully prepared.
Female directors,who were most likely to spearhead the reform,were far less sanguine about their company’s preparedness,with only 20 per cent believing their boards had an adequate understanding of positive duty,compared with 39 per cent of male directors.
AICD education and policy leadership general manager Louise Petschler said while there was a long way to go preventing gender discrimination,she was heartened an overwhelming majority of listed company boards had lifted their focus on taking proactive steps.
“The issue of workplace sexual harassment is endemic in Australia,” Petschler said. “The Respect@Work report showed us this is a broad societal problem. We need leadership and a cultural change to lift our focus.”
Under new laws passed last year,the federal government introduced a positive duty on employers to take proactive steps to eliminate workplace sexual harassment,sex discrimination,sex-based harassment,conduct that amounts to subjecting a person to a hostile workplace environment on the ground of sex,and certain acts of victimisation.
In handing down her report,Jenkins said positive duty would be the “single most revolutionary change that will impact sexual harassment”. She noted employers were too reactive when it came to sexual harassment,and that they placed too much focus on having a grievance procedure and taking disciplinary action without considering how to prevent such conduct occurring in the first place.