Respect at Work

Background:

PerformHR was engaged by a highly experienced firm in the construction environment, was hired by a medium-sized manufacturing company in Victoria to provide Senior Leadership, Middle Management, and Employee Respect at Work Training. Initially, the Human Resources Manager was concerned about the potential negative impact of the topic. The company’s collaboration with our team provided reassurance since we could effectively connect with the audience and deliver the critical messages of the new Respect at Work legislation.

Approach:

PerformHR’s approach was to tailor our unique Respect at Work Training to the audience in close collaboration with the Human Resources Team. This collaborative effort allowed us to align the training with the organisational needs and audience expectations. We designed different trainings for senior leaders, middle management, and employees.

Our team has provided 6 Respect at Work sessions, starting with senior leaders and then cascading to middle management and employees. This approach allowed the leaders to set an example of knowledge, behaviour, and support for their teams.

The highly interactive sessions focused on four key learning objectives:

• Legislative backgrounds and responsibilities.
• Definitions of unlawful behaviours include bullying, discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, and victimisation.
• Company policies related to the topic and how to use them effectively.
• Respect at work in practice, covering topics such as psychological safety and being an active bystander (upstander).

Outcome

The client has reported having a positive experience with the training program which involved case studies and examples relevant to their industry. The Human Resources manager was particularly impressed with how PerformHR managed to simplify the legislation and provide practical management tools and resources. Senior Leaders have provided positive feedback and have requested that the training continues across the organisation. There has already been an observable change in behaviours, and the management team has been able to address informal complaints quickly and efficiently. Following the training period, psychological safety practices have been implemented.