Why trust is the missing link in sexual harassment reporting

Sexual harassment is unacceptable in any workplace. It causes serious harm to people and harms workplaces too. Employers have a positive duty to actively prevent it – and that means more than having a policy.

Workplaces must collect and act on sexual harassment data, prevent harm before it occurs, educate staff, build trust in reporting systems, and create cultures of respect. Your gender equality action plan helps you do this work.

The problem

Sexual harassment is a serious workplace harm that must be addressed. Despite years of reform, sexual harassment remains alarmingly common in Victoria’s public sector. In 2023, our audit data showed 7% of women in duty holder workplaces said they experienced sexual harassment at work. Of those women, only 7% of those who experienced sexual harassment said they reported it. This gap between experienced and reported sexual harassment shows there is a big trust problem.

Often, staff don’t feel safe using the formal systems and processes for reporting sexual harassment in the workplace. Staff may informally report it to their manager, but when this happens, organisations lose oversight of how complaints are handled - and the data they need to understand the full picture. This leads to inconsistent responses, limited accountability, and less safety for victim-survivors.

Missing data doesn’t just weaken prevention efforts - it exposes boards and executive leaders to serious work health and safety (WHS) risks. Under WHS laws, boards and officers have a duty of due diligence to ensure their organisation identifies, assesses and controls psychosocial hazards, including sexual harassment. When reports aren’t captured, leaders cannot demonstrate that they are managing these risks - leaving them personally liable for breaches of WHS obligations. In short, gaps in reporting aren’t just data gaps. They are risk blind spots that can carry significant legal, financial and reputational consequences for organisations and their boards.

Our data shows that people may choose not to report because they fear negative consequences, don’t trust the system, or feel unsure about what counts as sexual harassment. Other research shows(opens in a new window) that fear of backlash, job loss, visa cancellation, cultural stigma, and a lack of trauma-informed processes deter many victim-survivors from formally reporting.

And, when people don’t trust that reports will be taken seriously, workplaces suffer. Morale drops. Good staff may leave. Workforce shortages can grow worse.

Who is most at risk

Anyone can experience sexual harassment - but some groups face higher rates and more barriers to reporting:

• Women

• Young workers

• First Nations women

• Culturally and racially marginalised women

• People with disability

• LGBTQIA+ employees

• Staff in insecure jobs

• Frontline workers

Frontline workers in healthcare, emergency services and transport face particular risks because they work in close contact with the public. In 2023, 37% of women who reported experiencing sexual harassment were harassed by members of the public. This was up from 31% in 2021.

The cost of doing nothing

Sexual harassment damages confidence, mental health and career progression. It can push people out of jobs and undermine long-term financial security. For organisations, it reduces productivity, drives turnover, and increases legal and reputational risks. Across the economy, the costs run into billions each year.

Organisations that fail to build trusted reporting systems not only harm victim-survivors - they harm themselves.

Your GEAP requirement

Under the Gender Equality Act 2020, organisations must address sexual harassment through Indicator 4 in their Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP). This means you must:

• complete a workplace gender equality audit every two years

• monitor data regularly

• identify root causes

• create and evaluate strategies to reduce harassment and improve reporting

• track staff confidence and satisfaction – not just complaint numbers.

But that’s not all. Duty holders have a legislated obligation to make reasonable and material progress on every indicator - including sexual harassment - in each two-year reporting period.

That means it’s not enough to have policies, training or good intentions. You must show evidence that your actions are reducing harm, improving reporting, and building trust. This progress must be measurable, demonstrable, and sustained.

Addressing Indicator 4 also helps you meet your positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984. This duty requires you to actively prevent sexual harassment.

What works: Building trusted systems

Our Insights report: sexual harassment(opens in a new window) shows what works:

• Give people different ways to report

Offer formal, informal, anonymous, and third-party options — such as digital drop-boxes or external hotlines.

• Respond with care

Use trauma-informed approaches. Train staff to respond appropriately and sensitively.

• Communicate regularly and transparently

Show progress through “you said, we did” updates. Share lessons learned and actions taken to build trust without breaking confidentiality

• Make leaders accountable

Track progress at board level. Link leadership performance to culture and safety outcomes. Ensure senior leaders are visible and active in prevention efforts.

• Support people who experience compounded inequality

Remove barriers related to racism, ableism or homophobia. Provide tailored, culturally safe support.

The ‘ripple effect’

Working to prevent sexual harassment has positive ripple effects in the workplace. Creating a safe work environment can help women stay engaged and progress to leadership roles. It can also help reduce workplace segregation by making women feel more comfortable entering male-dominated roles. Keeping women engaged at all levels of the workforce is also important for reducing the gender pay gap.

More formal reports of sexual harassment can mean progress, not failure. When staff believe complaints will be handled with care, they are more likely to speak up – and that’s when change begins.

What to include in your GEAP

A strong GEAP under Indicator 4 includes:

• multiple safe reporting pathways centred on victim-survivors

• trauma-informed response training for all managers

• regular updates about outcomes and improvements

• leadership accountability linked to performance

• specific supports for people experiencing intersecting inequalities.

Track formal reports and identify where informal reports are going. This gives you the real picture. Review data regularly – not just in annual reports. Share results with staff.

Turning policies into practice

Building trust takes consistent leadership, transparency and care. When employees believe in the system - and see that it works - they use it. That’s how workplaces make reasonable and material progress.

Every action that increases confidence, safety and reporting is evidence of that progress - and it’s how organisations demonstrate they’re moving beyond policies on paper to real change in their workplaces.

Download the full Insights report: sexual Harassment(opens in a new window) to explore all seven recommended steps and sector-wide data you can use in your GEAP.