S-xual harassment remains prevalent across the mining and resources industry and is perpetuated by poor workplace cultures, power imbalances and gender inequality, an inquiry has found.
Workplace disagreements and behaviours caused an employee "some stress", but they didn't significantly contribute to his psychological ailment, a tribunal has ruled.
Employers are facing increasing pressure to disclose workplace sexual harassment allegations and the outcomes of their investigations, but this requires a careful balancing act.
Ahead of Labor legislating a positive duty to prevent workplace s-xual harassment, there is still a false but "prevailing sense" among employers that having policies and training in place will be enough to discharge it, a lawyer says.
After sacking an employee for a code of conduct breach involving a consensual s-xual interaction, an employer has successfully appealed against orders to reinstate and compensate him.
Employers have two critical lessons to take away from the operation of the Fair Work Commission's stop-s-xual harassment jurisdiction so far, an employment lawyer says.
In light of the federal election outcome, employers must now "buckle in" for some major shifts in industrial relations and other employment matters. Watch this webcast to understand what to expect.
Despite making no findings, the Fair Work Commission has said an employer should investigate the incident at the centre of an employee's application for stop-sexual-harassment orders.
Bystander interventions can play a critical role in preventing workplace s-xual harassment, but employers first need to shift their culture, an Australian researcher says.
All employers should consider putting in place a workplace s-xual harassment prevention plan, even though such plans are only expressly prescribed in one jurisdiction, according to a risk management expert.
Recent events have shone a spotlight on whistleblowing, placing employers firmly on notice that their response to a protected disclosure could be subject to intense scrutiny. Watch this webcast to understand the role HR plays in this challenging space.