Respect at work: Help prevent workplace sexual harassment
Published on 02 January 2025
Workplace sexual harassment is a work health and safety hazard. Workplace sexual harassment occurs in every industry across NSW.
Sexual harassment is:
- any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature
- conduct that makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated, where a reasonable person in the same circumstances would anticipate that reaction.
Workplace sexual harassment is costly
Proactive steps to prevent workplace sexual harassment can reduce financial and reputational risks to your business. Workplace sexual harassment can cost businesses with impacts including lost productivity, absenteeism, reputational damage and can impact staff retention and recruitment. The impact of workplace sexual harassment on the Australian economy is significant with a 2018 report from Deloitte estimating the total cost to the economy to be around $3.8 billion.
Workplace sexual harassment is preventable
Understand your work health and safety responsibilities and get practical advice to prevent, manage and respond to sexual harassment in your workplace.
Businesses have a responsibility to proactively prevent workplace sexual harassment. This includes identifying work-related factors that can lead to sexual harassment risks and putting plans in place to control the risks. Free advice and business support is available from SafeWork NSW.
Prevent and manage the risk of sexual harassment in your workplace
Build a safer workplace by understanding your WHS responsibilities to prevent and manage sexual harassment in your workplace:
SafeWork NSW is here to support NSW businesses comply with their WHS duties and can take appropriate enforcement action for serious breaches of relevant NSW WHS laws.
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