Your Guide to Managing Sexual Harassment
Carrington West is committed to ensuring that all contractors are treated with dignity and respect while on assignment. No level of sexual harassment should be accepted or tolerated in the workplace, including unwanted comments, jokes, messages, touching, sexual advances or any other behaviour of a sexual nature.
Creating a Safe and Respectful Workplace
Clients should take a proactive approach to preventing sexual harassment by identifying potential risks, maintaining clear policies and reporting procedures, communicating expected standards of behaviour, and ensuring managers know how to respond appropriately to concerns. Clients should take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, including harassment carried out by third parties. This includes, but is not limited to, customers, clients, service users, members of the public, suppliers, vendors, consultants, subcontractors, other contractors, agency workers, visitors and any other individuals a contractor may encounter in the course of their work.
Preventing and Responding to Third-Party Harassment
Clients should consider the potential risks arising from interactions with third parties and put appropriate preventative measures in place. Where inappropriate behaviour by a third party is reported or identified, clients should respond promptly and take reasonable and proportionate steps to prevent the behaviour from continuing or recurring. The fact that an individual is not directly employed by the client should not prevent appropriate action being taken to protect contractors from harassment. Contractors should be afforded the same protection and respect as permanent employees. If a Carrington West contractor raises a concern, clients should take the matter seriously, act promptly, maintain confidentiality as far as reasonably possible, and take appropriate steps to protect the individual from further harassment or victimisation while the matter is reviewed.
Reporting Concerns and Supporting Contractors
Any incident involving a Carrington West contractor should also be reported to Carrington West as soon as possible so that we can work with you to support the individual and manage the situation appropriately. Clients should keep clear and confidential records of any concerns raised, actions taken and outcomes, and use these to review workplace risks and strengthen preventative measures where necessary.