In preventing inappropriate behaviour, it is essential for managers to encourage a workplace culture where employees support each other and diversity is valued.
Please note, this information is intended as a guide only. Any industrial advice or a course of action should be checked with your manager, or referred to WorkSafe Victoria, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Fair Work Australia, ArtsLaw, or a relevant peak body.
Whilst it is important to have strategies in place to manage inappropriate behaviour, be sure to consider your workplace culture. If you create an environment that is diverse, socially inclusive, and fosters civility and respect, discrimination and harassment decrease.
In order to provide a safe and healthy working environment, leaders have an obligation and responsibility to positively promote and demonstrate constructive behaviours and to actively manage inappropriate behaviours, such as:
- Foul language and cursing – especially if directed at people
- Any form of harassment
- Sharing or displaying offensive materials that are demeaning or defamatory
- Accessing inappropriate internet sites in the workplace
- Any behaviour (whether at work or outside) that brings the organisation into disrepute
- Aggressive or negative behaviours that are not in keeping with the values promoted by your workplace
- Any form of direct or indirect discrimination that targets or maligns anyone with a protected attribute such as a disability or particular religious belief
These attributes include:
- Age
- Breastfeeding
- Employment activity
- Gender identity
- Disability
- Industrial activity
- Lawful sexual activity
- Marital status
- Parental status
- Status as a carer
- Physical features
- Political belief or activity
- Pregnancy
- Race or culture
- Religious belief or activity
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Personal association (whether as a relative or otherwise) with a person who is identified by reference to any of the above attributes
Under federal anti-discrimination law an employer, regardless of their size, may be legally responsible for discrimination and harassment which occurs in the workplace or in connection with a person’s employment unless it can be shown that all reasonable steps’ have been taken to reduce this liability. This legal responsibility is called vicarious liability.
This means that you have an active role to play in the prevention, identification and management of discrimination.
Preventing Inappropriate Behaviours: ACTION LIST
VALUES: Develop a set of organisational values in consultation with employees and communicate these to all team members, including casual front of house and back of house teams. You could also develop a set of ‘team rules’ (see below) to outline specific expected behaviours.
Click here to view an example of a values statement – The Role You Play, Arts Centre Melbourne’s Organisational Statement.
INDUCTION: Provide induction to new employees on organisational values. Give examples to explain how these values are demonstrated in practice.
COMMUNICATE: Have leaders regularly communicate to all team members the importance of inclusion within the workplace.
STRATEGY: Develop a dedicated inclusion strategy and action plan for a socially inclusive workplace. Review existing policies and strategies through a lens of inclusivity – do existing policies promote or contradict your goal of inclusion
TRAIN: Provide equal opportunity training to all employees. This could be as simple as watching a TED talk together and discussing what was raised, or developing scenarios and talking through appropriate and inappropriate responses. Visit the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission website for more information on training in this area.
Team Rules
Consider working with your team to develop a set of rules for the workplace that outline expected behaviours. The following rules were suggested as examples by attendees at Creative People Management workshops in 2017:
- Treat each other with respect
- Communicate with kindness and honesty
- Be on time
- Accept feedback as a gift
- Respect the absent (do not gossip about people who are not present)
- Celebrate individual and team accomplishments
- Raise a problem with a suggested solution
- Hold meetings with clear agenda
- No emails before or after a certain time (e.g. after 6pm for arts managers) or on certain days (e.g. Sunday/Monday for performers)
- No yelling under any circumstances
- All team members receive invites to team drinks, lunches and social activities
- Listen first to understand
- Be transparent: avoid hidden agendas
- Lead by example
- Share your knowledge
- Celebrate debate, difference and diversity
- Follow through on commitments
Click here to view an example of behaviours in action – Arts Centre Melbourne’s Values Check
Addressing Inappropriate Behaviours: ACTION LIST
Manage the matter at the lowest possible level by encouraging parties to discuss:
- The incident
- Why it was offensive
- New parameters- where the line should be drawn in future
- Possible remedies: Offer and accept an apology
If a team member is uncomfortable to do this alone, see if a manager or leader can offer to facilitate the conversation. If there is no direct communication, then you are expected to have a confidential and non-confrontational conversation with the relevant parties to offer support, state the expected behaviours and explain that any recurrence would be formalised. The matter should then be communicated to your direct manager. If you believe the matter should be formalised, escalate to your CEO, director, producer, general manager or Human Resources (if applicable).
Alcohol and other drugs
If you observe an employee who you suspect to be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, please report this directly and immediately to a manager.
Click here to view WorkSafe Victoria’s fact sheet, Alcohol in the Workplace.
Please note, this information is intended as a guide only. Any industrial advice or a course of action should be checked with your manager, or referred to WorkSafe Victoria, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Fair Work Australia, ArtsLaw, or a relevant peak body.
