Wow that place is strict. The stuff that happens in an all male machanical workshop would shock these people.
1. If a complaint is made then the manager is obligated to either a/ investigate it him/herself b/ refer the matter to somebody more senior or qualified to investigate the matter 2. When an employee tells me to get f-cked I give them due process to explain to me why they shouldn't be sacked immediately before showing them the door Not that it has been associated with a harassment claim but your approach as an employee sounds like an easy way out of it for management In Garth's case I'd suggest he gets professional advice as to what he should(n't) say and not take advice from the likes of here. There is nothing strict about it at all. If a complaint is made then they are obligated to act. I've been around countless all male workshops and building sites etc and some of the stuff that goes on would shock plenty. The owners/managers of these workshops are playing a very dangerous game IMO. Even if they know about it without taking action and a complaint is made (by say a 17yo wet behind the ears apprentice) for the equal opportunity board etc etc go go ballistic. Reaper
The laws are there for a good reason, but at the same time too many people abuse it. I don't know if its because I grew up riding around in the cars to caryards etc with my uncles and have always been around the type of talk and humour that goes with that environment, but I know the difference between mucking around and when a bloke is being a pig. People need to suck it up and grow a thicker skin. I watched this not too long ago.. Click Sexual Harrasment - YouTube
Sexual harassment is any unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour, which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. Was your behaviour sexual towards the offended person ? No. Was it sexual towards a third party ? No. Did it imply sexual behaviour onyour part ? No. It implied sexual behaviour of a third party, like every single headline in some newspapers. Therefore you CANNOT be reprimanded under a sexual harassment law. Plain old harassment ? maybe. Tell em to harden up or chopper will come round for aparty and a pack of skittles.
Sexual harassment is an unwelcome sexual advance, unwelcome request for sexual favours or other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated, where a reasonable person would anticipate that reaction in the circumstances. The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) defines the nature and circumstances in which sexual harassment is unlawful. It is also unlawful for a person to be victimised for making, or proposing to make, a complaint of sexual harassment to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Examples of sexually harassing behaviour include: unwelcome touching; staring or leering; sexually explicit pictures or posters; unwanted invitations to go out on dates; requests for sex; intrusive questions about a person’s private life or body; unnecessary familiarity, such as deliberately brushing up against a person; insults or taunts based on sex; sexually explicit physical contact; and sexually explicit emails or SMS text messages.
that is too true. if you havent ever been to a building/construction site or a workplace that is all male or male dominated to an extent of no women it and you get easily offended. please do not bring high vis gear and work boots/hardhats etc. you seriously would not like it. also if an apprentice doesnt know what they are getting into then maybe they should reconsider. or they should go see the foreman and ask for the long weight and left handedf screwdriver =P i mean it might hurt your ego. but its also good for character building. hope it all goes well for you Garth. and that is doesnt end up like how it is in america of "sueing" everyonebody because you can.
I have worked in hospitality and now media and advertising and both work places have housed scores of people with their minds firmly in the gutter. Some of the things I've heard guys say to gals and vice versa would shock many, but people just laugh and then fire back. There are people in this world who need to harden the fluck up. Seriously though, I would seek advice externally from your organisation and then when you're armed with information, raise the issue with Human Resources. Australian Law is complex and can be read in a variety of ways, so you'll need someone who effectively interpret the Law. --- I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-27.367873,153.045835
pretty much this guy here hit the nail on the head. spoke to the qld government department that looks after this sort of thing, and they said the exact same above. providing i didnt mean any harm by it, and person b hasnt lodged a complaint then all will be fine. it's a simple case of person a trying to make life hell. from here i have been given advice on other things which can turn the tables back onto this person, i.e. i can get person a for harrassment for what apears to be a smeer campain against me. if anything further happens or develops ill be sure to keep those who asked in the loop. and to all you spanners who answered with dumb **** replys, your tools.
Good luck with it, hope it all works out. I had an issue with a co-worker in a past supermarket job who kept bitching to managers and HR about her entire working team (myself included) saying she felt intimidated being the only female and we spoke about too many male related things which created a "boys club" environment that she felt uncomfortable in. Until she made a complaint we got on fine with her but she clearly wanted to get an audience with big bosses and HR people to get noticed to ultimately help her "career" and she just used us a tool to do this About 6 of us got called into a meeting with all the managers and got warned to keep all conversations with her work related and to stop having male related conversations that she can hear because we were alienating her and it was considered sexual harassment (excluding someone from based upon gender or something). We walked out of the meeting feeling pretty insulted so I pulled my boys together and said here's the plan. Follow the bosses instructions word for word. If she mentions her kids, family, or anything else no work related we gotta say sorry I've been warned against discussing personal issues or I can lose my job. If she walks near us we all go dead silent and stare at her and make her feel really really uncomfortable and like she isn't welcome. In other words, slowly mentally torment her, make work as miserable as possible, and see what happens We did this for a while until the tension got so bad she started breaking down in tears regularly but there was nothing she could do because we were responding to her exact complaint word for word. She ended up having a mini breakdown infront of customers and all, going on stress leave, and getting moved to a different store. It was a good team building exercise for the rest of us though
