Stephen Lunn; 3/11/08; (2 Items)
Many Australians still don’t understand when they are being sexually harassed in the workplace. In a survey to be released today, more than one in five people who said they had not been sexually harassed went on to describe being subjected to behaviour considered sexual harassment under the law. The survey of more than 2000 people commissioned by the Australian Human Rights Commission found that although sexual harassment at work had declined over the past five years, many people were unaware of what constituted sexually harassing behaviour. There has been a marked drop in reporting of workplace sexual harassment, with only 16per cent of those concerned making a formal complaint or report compared with 32 per cent in the last survey, in 2003. In 2008, 22 per cent of women and 5 per cent of men aged 18-64 said they had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, compared with 28per cent of women and 7 per cent of men in 2003.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24590916-5013404,00.html
Sex harassment proves a murky minefield to define
Carol Nader; 3/11/08
Bad music. Cheap wine. The odd drunken dalliance … and unwanted amorous advances. It must be the office Christmas party season. Amid all the alcoholic beverages imbibed come the inevitable complaints of sexual harassment, says Deacons law firm workplace relations partner Stuart Kollmorgen. “Each year we would see at least an additional few complaints arise from the Christmas party season,” he says. As workers navigate their way through a host of Christmas parties, starting as early as November on the back of the inebrious spring racing carnival, here is some sobering advice. “The same warnings that go out to staff before a Christmas event should be going out to staff before a spring racing carnival event,” he says.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/national/sex-harassment-proves-a-murky-minefield-to-define-20081102-5gcv.html
