A review conducted by former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has found poor HR practices and people management have contributed to s-xual harassment and assault and bullying in NSW parliamentary workplaces and that cultural, policy and legislative barriers are preventing reporting of incidents.
High Court employees accusing judges of inappropriate conduct can request formal external investigations, avoid further contact and if necessary secure an alternative position of equivalent status under a new policy on justices' workplace conduct.
The Morrison Government will establish an independent complaints mechanism to handle sexual harassment, assaults and bullying in Federal parliamentary workplaces, while it is also considering "naming and shaming" MPs and senators who fail to undertake anti-harassment training.
S-x Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins is set to conduct an independent inquiry into Federal parliamentary workplaces, after a request from the Morrison Government.
Social media "moves the dial" on harassing workplace behaviour and will contribute to more litigation flowing through to the courts, according to Australian Human Resources Institute chair Peter Wilson.
Unions will next week consider pushing for stronger remedies for unfair dismissal by adopting measures such as removing the $73,000 compensation limit, enabling employees to pursue more than their lost income and empowering them to seek penalties against employers.
The head of the FWC's bullying jurisdiction and a public service commissioner who oversees implementation of domestic violence workplace policies say they have ditched labels and are using more empowering approaches to dealing with domestic violence and bullying.
Almost one-in-10 Australian workers now experience bullying, according to a report released this week, with those employed in the utilities and government administration and defence industries suffering among the highest levels of harassment.
A worker who made derogatory comments about a supervisor on social media has won $28,000 compensation because he was never told his dismissal was partly based on a confidential report claiming his behaviour had a negative effect on his colleagues.
Responsibility for gender equity strategies should be partially devolved from centralised HR departments to line managers, and training to combat "unconscious bias" in selection processes should be mandated for supervisors and managers, according to a new report on barriers to women's career advancement in higher education.
