Changing a culture of sexual harassment means arming people to act
As the debate rages about Australia’s corporate culture and its response to sexual harassment, it is clear that the time has come to empower all employees, including every level of management, to change that culture.
“Instead of ‘sanitising’ a corporate reputation that has been damaged by harassment revelations, it would make sense to act first to protect it with genuine cultural change,” says Mark Dean, Managing Director of En Masse business transformation consultancy.
“Meeting legislative requirements or circulating off-the-shelf training programs is just not enough – that’s obvious from the evidence we are seeing. Organisations need to give their people the tools to spot vulnerabilities and step up to protect others when they need to.”
Mr Dean, a lawyer and business consultant, says the current discussion is also a great opportunity for companies to take action.
“This is the time to turn the water cooler conversation into cultural change. Companies that are courageous enough to use this as an opportunity for reflection and discussion can really make some headway.
“Every business should pause today and consider – do we have inappropriate behaviour here? Are we ignoring it, thinking it’s ‘normal’ for our sector, or hoping it will just go away? It’s time to talk openly, and then look at what people need to help make a change.”
Mr Dean also points out that there has been a generational change in business which means people are more ready than ever to take matters in their own hands if they experience sexual harassment or any other abuse of their human rights.
“Gen Y employees are less likely to stand back and put up with things that once might have been tolerated – they have been brought up with a much stronger awareness of their human rights. And we see that younger managers often want to take an active stance on rights protection, not just mouth a policy.
“These are factors that organisations should not fear. Instead they can capitalise on them by opening up, listening to what’s happening, then giving their people the tools they need to change the culture, and to respect and protect themselves and the people they work with.”
Follow the link for information on En Masse’s suite of bullying and harassment education and training programs, or call us on (03) 9827 1388 to discuss how we can tailor a solution to your needs.
