Bystander Intervention Intensive Skills by Design
Target Audience
Supervisors, Coaches, Managers, Senior Leadership Team, Executive Leadership Team
Context
All Australian workplaces are bound by Federal Legislation (and respective state legislation) to prevent workplace bullying and sexual harassment. Employers have obligations under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth), Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), Work, Health and safety laws, SafeWork Australia national guidelines, state anti-discrimination legislation, Industry Codes of Practice, obligations at common law with respect to the law of Negligence and Breach of Statutory Duty. Work, Health and Safety laws places a positive obligation on employers to prevent sexual harassment which can cause psychological or physical harm. Some cases of unlawful conduct may amount to sex discrimination, sexual harassment, sex-based harassment or a combination of all three. Federal Sex Discrimination law amendments includes a new sex-based harassment provision, widening of the sexual harassment provision and relevant ancillary provision changes. The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) has also been amended to specifically include sexual harassment provisions. At law, workplaces can be held vicariously liable for their workers actions and have a clear duty of care. The ‘Set the Standard’ Report commissioned by the Australian Federal Government outlined 28 recommendations for Commonwealth Parliamentary workplaces which sets the benchmark and puts ‘on notice’ all Australian workplaces to do better. Of the 28 recommendations to be implemented in Commonwealth workplaces, Bystander Initiatives were viewed as “one promising practical tool to support a culture that condemns misconduct and helps workers to understand what they can do if they see or hear about these behaviours at work.”
Best Practice Training
Bystander Interventions training is a useful component of Respect At Work training where it is offered as one part of a broader suite of initiatives to recognise, prevent and respond to misconduct. Bystander intervention enables workers to recognise an issue and empowers them to take personal responsibility through utilising strategies to effectively prevent or interrupt the behaviour. Bystander Intervention is more likely to be effective in a workplace where the employer and leaders take responsibility for creating an environment that empowers and encourages bystanders to act and that protects them from harm when they do.
Learning Objectives
- Leaders will be able to understand the ‘why’ behind Bystander Intervention as a prevention and response strategy to unlawful workplace conduct which is situated within the Respect At Work standards and federal legislative framework
- Leaders will revise compulsory training key outcomes in taking responsibility, recognising behaviour, an awareness of their legal obligations to take action from the RAW Sexual Harassment, Sex-based Harassment education packages (pre-requisites)
- Leaders will be able to understand how Bystander Intervention acts as both a preventative and response measure to unlawful workplace behaviours
- Leaders will understand the immediacy and level of involvement of intervention and associated strategies from the Bystander Intervention Matrix
- Leaders will have insight into why bystanders choose not to act, their limits, and why assurances for psychological safety are necessary
- Leaders will apply Bystander Intervention strategies to a range of scenarios in group discussions
- Leaders will apply Bystander Intervention to specific inclusion, equity and diversity scenarios tailored to their organisation’s requirements
- Inclusion, equity and diversity topics may include: domestic violence; language and jokes, gender inequality in sports; online harassment and social media; racism
Duration
Full Day Facilitator-led Workshop
Pre-Requisite
- Respect At Work (RAW) Sexual Harassment Module
- Respect At Work (RAW) Sex-Based Harassment Module
Digital Badge
Yes
Certificate of Completion
Yes
