Sexual Harassment in Australian workplaces Survey Results

Diversity Australia Blog

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Executive Summary

More than 9,600 people from a range of industries responded to the survey between 18 September and 30 November 2018. The majority (68%) were women. Respondents were from all major sectors of the economy, from education and public services to mining, finance and media.

More than half of all respondents (54.8%) had experienced sexual harassment at their most recent workplace or at a previous workplace, and a majority (64%) had witnessed sexual harassment at their most recent workplace or at a previous workplace. Respondents had been harassed by a range of people, including co-workers, customers or clients. The largest group of respondents (38%) had been harassed by a supervisor, manager or senior co-worker. Respondents who had experienced sexual harassment had been subjected to a range of inappropriate behaviours, including crude or offensive remarks, unwanted sexual attention, inappropriate sexual contact and sexual coercion.

Only 27% of those who experienced sexual harassment ever made a formal complaint, and just over 40% told no one at all. The two most common reasons given for this were a fear of negative consequences (55%) and a lack of faith in the complaint process (50%). More than a quarter of those who did complain reported less favourable treatment by their employer, including being forced to leave or resign, being bullied, or having their hours or shifts reduced. Of the minority of people who did complain (27%), most (56%) were not at all satisfied with the outcome, 43% said their complaint was ignored or not taken seriously, and 45% said there were no consequences for the harasser.

Respondents reported that less than half of their workplaces had proper preventative measures in place, including mandatory training for staff, a clear workplace policy, an effective complaints mechanism, or access to workplace health and safety processes. Respondents supported a range of stronger rules to protect workers from sexual harassment, including better protection from victimisation (60%), a quicker complaints process (34%), more information and support for those experiencing sexual harassment (54%), a stronger role for the union (33%) and better remedies for complainants (47%).

Attributions: ACTU Authorised by Scott McManus

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About The Author

Steven Asnicar

Steven leads the Diversity Australia Consulting business in Australia and New Zealand and is an active Leader in the Asia Pacific region. With a senior executive career spanning 25 years in corporate as a Director and Chief Executive, consulting and executive search specialist, Steven founded and led a successful specialist leadership development and assessment firm in Asia Pacific for 18 years prior to founding Diversity Australia.

Steven is a highly experienced Executive and Coach, working with Boards, individuals and teams at the C-Suite level. He also advises clients on leadership development, succession planning and executive assessment. As an innate entrepreneur, Steven brings an innovative, data informed approach to co-create impactful yet pragmatic client solutions.

Steven earned a Masters of International Business specialising in Human Capital Management through Bond University, a Graduate Certificate of Corporate Management through Deakin and a Bachelor of Business through UQ. He is a is a graduate of the Global Institute of Directors, a qualified RABQSA Auditor, and is a thought leader on executive diversity, equity and inclusion, with over 26,000 followers on his LinkedIn profile: https://au.linkedin.com/in/steven-asnicar.

View our key team of consultants and trainers at: https://www.diversityaustralia.com.au/our-team.

About Diversity Australia: Leading the Way in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

WE CHAMPION INCLUSION FOR ALL ORGANISATIONS: Diversity Australia is the leading national and international diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) professional services firm.

We specialise in DE&I training and consulting, including unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, psychological safety, respect at work, and cultural awareness and change.

BUILDING HIGH-PERFORMING, INCLUSIVE CULTURES: Our passion lies in developing strategies that promote cultures of inclusion and diversity. We help organisations foster a high-performing, equitable workforce that sets a new global standard for DE&I.

EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST:

Led by CEO Steven Asnicar, an experienced executive and thought leader in strategic human resources and DE&I;
Team of over 10 highly qualified consultants with advanced degrees and extensive industry experience;
Alignment with Global ISO Diversity and Inclusion Standards, Australian Inclusive Service Standards (ISS), and ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations for DE&I;
Training content researched and created by subject matter experts, benchmarked across our diverse senior team;
Positive focus on the ethical and equity-related benefits of an inclusive culture.

About Diversity Australia:
Leading the Way in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

WE CHAMPION INCLUSION FOR ALL ORGANISATIONS: Diversity Australia is the leading national and international diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) professional services firm.

We specialise in DE&I training and consulting, including unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, psychological safety, respect at work, and cultural awareness and change.

EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST:

● Led by CEO Steven Asnicar, an experienced executive and thought leader in strategic human resources and DE&I;
● Team of over 10 highly qualified consultants with advanced degrees and extensive industry experience;
● Alignment with Global ISO Diversity and Inclusion Standards, Australian Inclusive Service Standards (ISS), and ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations for DE&I;
● Training content researched and created by subject matter experts, benchmarked across our diverse senior team;
● Positive focus on the ethical and equity-related benefits of an inclusive culture.