Research reveals alarming gender workplace trend
New research by digital youth engagement platform Year13 has found that twice as many young women are quitting their jobs because of abuse from customers, as compared to their male counterparts.
The research reveals that one in eight teenage girls and young women report that they’ve been driven out of a job due to customer abuse. One respondent reflected on her experience facing abuse from customers while working in retail, stating that young people, particularly women, are targeted by customers as they appear ‘easy to manipulate and harass.’ The respondent recounted rarely hearing or seeing older male colleagues being subject to the same harassment, feeling that the customers respected them more than younger workers.
These findings suggest that employers and managers in customer facing industries such as hospitality and retail must have stronger safeguards in place to protect young workers from such abuse and ensure access to avenues for support.
NSW cop sacked following topless waitress party
A NSW police officer who hosted a work Christmas party featuring a topless waitress has failed to overturn his dismissal. The NSW Industrial Relations Commission upheld an order by the Police Commissioner to terminate senior constable Andrew Herring based on concerns about his integrity and performance.
Central to these concerns was his failure to respond appropriately to two separate domestic violence incidents. The Police Commissioner also argued that the topless waitress incident amounted to sexual harassment of fellow officers at the Christmas party.
The Commission ultimately found that Herring had failed to show that his dismissal was unreasonable nor unjust in proportion to the gravity of his conduct.
New commissioners appointed to oversee MP conduct
Two inaugural Commissioners appointed to Victoria’s Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission have commenced their new roles as of January 2025.
The Commission will deal with allegations of misconduct by Parliamentarians and staffers, including bullying, sexual harassment and victimisation. The appointments come against the backdrop of the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces reported in 2021 and the subsequent overhaul of parliamentary workplaces ongoing since.
The Commission is supported by Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Act 2024 and draws on the work of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Jenkins Report.
EEO Specialists works with organisations to enable safe and respectful workplaces. We offer a range of in-person workshops as well as online courses. If you would like to have a confidential discussion about workplace behaviour and compliance, please call Franca Sala Tenna on 0405 134 187 or email franca@equalopportunitytraining.com.au