Inclusive workplaces have significantly lower rates of sexual harassment, with employees in supportive teams three times less likely to report experiencing it, a report by Diversity Council Australia has found.
The council’s Power of Inclusion report, released on Wednesday, draws on its biennial survey of 3,000 workers. It found that almost one in five workers had experienced sexual harassment despite the practice being illegal in workplaces for more than four decades.
Workers in inclusive teams—where people feel respected, valued and connected—were less likely to report harassment in the previous 12 months. Forty-five per cent of employees in non-inclusive teams said they had experienced sexual harassment at work, compared with 25 per cent of those in inclusive teams.
Employees with inclusive managers were also more than twice as unlikely to experience sexual harassment, the report found.
Inclusive workplaces and sexual harassment
Rose D’Almada-Remedios, the council’s head of research, said the report was the first time the link between inclusion and sexual harassment had been quantified by the organisation.
“We’ve heard anecdotally that there is this link between inclusion and sexual harassment but we haven’t seen it quantified before, and that was the big piece for us to explore,” she told AAP.
The report identified workplaces at greater risk as those where most workers, supervisors or managers were men, diversity was limited, disrespectful conduct was accepted or there was no policy setting out expected standards of behaviour.
Employees who had experienced discrimination were six times more likely to also experience sexual harassment. Those who had been incorrectly stereotyped because of their age, gender, race, culture, religion, disability or sexual orientation were more than five times more likely to report harassment.
Dr D’Almada-Remedios said inclusion should be treated as part of workplace health and safety because it could help prevent psychosocial harm and support workers’ wellbeing.
“Organisations really need to turn their attention towards inclusion as a key prevention piece against sexual harassment,” she said. “Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident, it takes deliberate steps by organisations.”
She said organisations should measure inclusion in their workplaces, identify gaps and provide diversity and inclusion training to staff at every level.
“Everyone plays a role in creating an inclusive environment, an inclusive team, and it starts at the top from senior leadership genuinely demonstrating that inclusion is important,” she said.
Catherine Fitzpatrick, the council’s recently appointed chief executive, said the persistence of sexual harassment showed that existing workplace approaches were not enough.
“Organisations have a powerful opportunity to embed inclusion into their workplace health and safety frameworks and take proactive action before harm occurs,” she said.
