5. Responsibilities of all staff
Treat each other fairly and with respect
Do not discriminate against, harass, sexually
harass or bully other staff members
Understand how behaviour and attitude can
impact on others
Discuss any concerns you have with a contact
officer or appropriate person
6. Legislation - Victoria
Equal Opportunity Act (Vic)
Occupational Health and Safety Act (Vic)
Fair Work Act
8. Scope of Legislation
Employment
Goods and services
Education
Accommodation
Clubs and club membership
Sport
Disposal of land
Local government
9. ‘Employment’ is:
Recruitment, selection, promotion
Redundancies
Working conditions
Leave
Rostering and allocation of tasks
Meetings, meeting times
Any other benefit of employment
11. Indirect Discrimination
A requirement or condition or practice that:
Applies to everyone
Has a disproportionately negative impact on
people with particular attributes; and
Is unreasonable
12. Attributes
Disability
Parental status
Age
Carer status
Sex
Pregnancy
Race
Breastfeeding
Physical features
Industrial activity
Marital status
Political belief/activity
Gender identity
Religious belief/activity
Sexual orientation
Employment Activity
Lawful sexual activity
* personal association with the above
13. Sexual Harassment
Sexual Harassment is:
Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in
circumstances where a reasonable person,
having regard to all of the circumstances, would
anticipate that the other person would be
offended, humiliated or intimidated.
14. Forms of Sexual Harassment
Email messages, screen savers
Gifts
Physical conduct - touching
Demands for sexual favors or for out of work social activities
Offensive or demeaning comments, questions, jokes,
innuendo
Comments or questions about a person’s sexual activities
Any sexually graphic pictures
15. Harassment
Any form of behaviour that is unwanted and likely to create an
uncomfortable or hostile workplace by:
humiliating
seriously embarrassing
offending; or
intimidating a person and
that happens because of their attributes protected by law
16. Workplace Bullying I
A worker is bullied at work if an individual or a
group of individuals repeatedly behave
unreasonably towards a worker, or a group of
workers which the worker is a member and that
behaviour creates a risk to health and safety.
17. Workplace Bullying II
It is important to note the following:
• there must be repeated behaviour;
• the behaviour must be unreasonable; and
• that behaviour must create a risk to health and
safety.
18. Bullying is not …
If the conduct complained of is reasonable
management action carried out in a reasonable manner
……. that conduct does not contravene the
workplace bullying provisions.
19. Favouritism
Unfair allocation
of tasks
• SUBTLE
Ostracising
Name calling
Initiation
rights
OBVIOUS
Unwarranted/
excessive criticism
Denial of
benefits
Physical
assault
20. Forms of Bullying
Verbal abuse
Spreading malicious rumors
Excluding, ostracising, ignoring employees
Performance counseling staff in public
Assigning meaningless tasks unrelated to the job
Giving some employees impossible assignments
Changing work rosters to inconvenience employees
Withholding vital information or resources
21. Victimisation
Treating someone less favourably because they have or
intend to:
Make a complaint
Be a witness to a complaint
Act in good faith in bringing information or an
allegation under legislation
Refuse to breach EO legislation
22. What is the workplace?
Extends beyond physical boundaries
Extends beyond the set times of work
Eg: includes staff meetings, conferences,
Christmas parties ….
23. Personal Liability
Individuals will be held responsible for their own
behaviour at work and work-related functions
Breaches of policy or the law may lead to them being required
to:
Change their behaviour
Apologise
Face workplace discipline
Pay compensation (through VEO&HRC or VCAT)
24. Leader’s Responsibility
Role model appropriate behaviour
Promote Policies
Be alert to language, practices, attitudes or behaviour that
create an environment where harassment and bullying can
occur
Intervene in inappropriate behaviour
Create an environment where harassment is less likely to
happen
Respond to and resolve any complaints
25. Accessory Liability
A person must not request, instruct, induce,
encourage, authorise or assist another person
to discriminate, sexually harass or victimise
another
To comply with such a request could result in a
complaint being lodged against both parties
26. Employer Responsibilities
Vicarious liability If a person, in the course of employment, engages in
discriminatory conduct, sexual harassment or victimisation,
both the person and the employer are liable and a
complaint may be lodged against either or both of them
Exception In order to discharge liability employers must take
reasonable precautions to prevent employees from
discriminating or harassing others
27. Who staff can talk to?
Another
Manager
Contact
Officer
Respondent
Complainant
VEOHRC
Union
HR Manager
28. Complaints Procedure
Informal Procedure
Raising your complaint with an appropriate person
Formal Procedure
Investigation of the complaint - independent and impartial
person
Possible Outcomes
Appropriate action which may include disciplinary action