“Everyone silently saying that [sexual discrimination] will go away is not helpful,” says Simpson.
“There is a lot more of it happening than people realise and being silent does not help a good boss and good organisation actually want to know what is holding people back.
“You can’t change things if no one tells you what is going on.”
We asked some experts what systems your business should have in place so women feel they can report sexual discrimination rather than ignore it:
Establishing a mentor system where younger women in the workplace have a more senior woman to talk to can help address sexual discrimination, according to Simpson.
“I am a little concerned that a lot of young women today don’t even see the discrimination that is impacting them,” says Simpson.
“It is a bit like the boiling frog syndrome, it happens so subtly and so quietly that unless you have someone that you are talking to at your workplace it is hard to address.
“What young women need to do is find someone older and wiser and tell them about things that are happening in their workplace.”
Following sexual harassment claims against former chief executive Mark McInnes, retailer David Jones set up an anonymous hotline for staff to report instances of sexual harassment.
A hotline to report sexual discrimination is an option for larger businesses although its application is limited for smaller businesses.
Businesses need to have a policy in place on sexual discrimination, according to Rosemary O’Connor, the senior manager of the enterprise group at RMIT and Springboard Enterprises board member.
“Ignoring sex discrimination will not make it go away as if by magic,” O’Connor says.
“The ostrich approach just doesn’t work. It is really important that businesses – large, medium and small – have robust policies and procedures regarding sex discrimination.
“Policies that acknowledge that it happens and set out processes for addressing it appropriately in the workplace are essential.”
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
