According to a recent National Australian Human Rights Commission survey, more than one-third of hospitality staff reported being sexually harassed. Other surveys have reported numbers in excess of 70%. These numbers are huge – and extremely concerning.
The first step in preventing sexual harassment is to provide comprehensive training to all employees on what constitutes sexual harassment, how to identify it, and how to report it. Employees should be made aware of the types of behaviours that are considered sexual harassment, including unwanted physical contact, suggestive comments or gestures, and offensive jokes or images.
There have been many changes to the legislation on this topic in recent years, and chances are high that many of your staff are unaware of some of the behaviours that qualify as sexual harassment today. Hence it’s imperative that they receive training.
In addition to knowing what constitutes sexual harassment, it’s equally important to offer employees clear guidelines for both staff and management to follow, should there be alleged cases of sexual harassment.
This should include
- A formal reporting process
- Confidentiality policies
- A commitment to investigating all claims promptly and thoroughly
Ananas provides customers with templated courses that cover all the necessary information your team needs to know, plus guidelines for your own internal procedures should you not already have them in place. As always, our internal training modules are 100% editable and customisable, so you can ensure that your team is trained in accordance with your business values and vision.
It is highly recommended that all staff are trained on this as part of their induction and that your team also has access to face-to-face training at least once a year in addition to online training.
For more information on how Ananas can assist you and your hospitality business, contact us at hello@AnanasAcademy.com or +61(0) 7032 5601