Speaking out against sexual harassment

Studies have shown that bystanders are often silent when they witness sexual harassment at work.

There are many competing reasons why some work colleagues do nothing:

• They may not want to take sides
• They may fear losing their job
• They may be reluctant to make a complaint against a more senior member of staff
• They may not be personally offended by the misconduct

But witnesses should take a stand against improper conduct at work.

A national phone survey conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission found 84% of sexual harassment incidents in the workplace were not reported.

This means only 16% who had been sexually harassed during this period formally reported it or made a complaint.

The survey released late last year was conducted over a five-year period to measure the extent of sexual harassment among Australian workers.

Of those who did not make a complaint about sexual harassment the survey found:

• 50% didn't think it was serious enough or were fearful of a negative impact on themselves
• 21% had a lack of faith in the complaint process
• 29% took care of the problem themselves

If you witness behviour that could amount to sexual harassment here are some things you can do:

• Ask the person being harassed: Are you OK with that? Do you want me to say anything?
• If it's not appropriate conduct you can complain - even though you may not be offended by it.
• Make a note of what you have seen and how people responded.
• Tell the person being harassed you will make a note. They made need it later. Lack of evidence is a key barrier to making a complaint. As an observer you can provide the evidence.

If you're worried about taking sides, just record what you saw and heard - just the facts. There is no need to interpret. If needed, your comments will either support or refute a complaint. That may be all that is needed.

Complaints of sexual harassment are often only made when the victim has been discriminated against, passed over for promotion, shortlisted for redundancy or failed a performance review. In such cases complaints may be designed to postpone an adverse decision.

Often victims believe they have been "managing" the bad behaviour by a colleague and so do nothing - sometimes for fear of losing their job.

But often doing nothing is more harmful to their career than speaking out.

About the author

Harriet Stacey is the co-founder and principal of Wise Workplace Investigations. She is one of Australia's leading authorities in investigative interviewing. Harriet specialises in corporate investigations and disciplinary processes. For further information visit www.wiseinvestigations.com.au

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