RESPECT AT WORK

The Respect at Work laws were passed at the end of 2022 and the Australian Human Rights Commission's powers to enforce those laws take effect in December 2023.  It is vitally important that employers ensure they are up to speed on these laws before then.  

Latitude Lawyers are providing you with free, on demand, access to the webinar which our Principal, Susannah McAuliffe, presented on these new laws earlier this year.  The webinar will provide you with an understanding of your obligations and practical tips on what employers need to actually DO in response to these new laws. 

The new Respect at Work laws impose a new positive duty on employers to eliminate sexual harassment, sex discrimination and victimisation in their workplaces. This means that the onus is on employers to prevent these unlawful behaviours, rather than responding only after it occurs.

This means that it won't be enough to have a policy in your Employee Handbook, nor will it be enough to just get your employees to click their way through online quizes about sexual harassment.  These new laws mean that employers need to take proactive steps to eliminate sexual harassment, sex discrimination and victimisation.  

Many employers don’t realise that there are also quite new Workplace Health and Safety provisions about what are called psychosocial hazards. Those hazards are anything that create a risk of psychological injuries.  Sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination are prime examples of this but psychosocial hazards will also include issues such as excessive workloads, poor workplace relationships and a lack of appropriate supervision.  These Workplace Health and Safety provisions make it doubly important that employers are being proactive when it comes to sexual harassment and sex discrimination.  

When new laws are passed there is always plenty of commentary about what the laws say but we know that the biggest thing that employers need to know is what they need to actually DO and WHEN they need to do it.  Our Respect at Work Webinar is your opportunity to find out the answers to that, at no cost and at a time that suits you.  

Our mission is to help employers prevent and solve people issues. Let us help you and your business get on top of what you need to do about these new laws.