There’s no doubt that 2024 was a challenging year for the hospitality industry, with allegations of sexual harassment shining a light on the collective work that needs to be done to ensure a safer, more inclusive environment.
With 40 per cent of women reporting that they have experienced workplace sexual harassment in the last five years, proactive safety measures are crucial, and yet WGEA research shows that almost one third of companies with 100 or more employees do not have anonymous reporting platforms in place.
Aiming to get a better understanding of workplace culture and mitigate risks of harmful behaviour, YCK Laneways is leading the change, adopting the use of SafeSpace@elevate, an anonymous reporting and support tool, across 16 of its venues within the Sydney CBD precinct.
Developed by leading human rights lawyer Prabha Nandagopal, SafeSpace@elevate is an independent, trauma-informed, web-based reporting and support service, designed to be culturally safe with a focus on people.
With only 54 per cent of women saying they were confident of an appropriate workplace response to sexual harassment in a recent Our Watch report, the platform is designed to support staff of all backgrounds, including those with intersecting identities, to report workplace misconduct.
Karl Schlothauer, Vice President of YCK Laneways, hopes the introduction of the platform will allow employees to feel safe at work and confident to report their concerns.
“We are excited to partner with SafeSpace@elevate and offer this initiative to our members, thanks to the ongoing support of our partner, Bacardi Martini Australia. As Australia’s first Purple Flag-accredited precinct, it is essential for us to provide a safe, diverse, and inclusive experience for our guests visiting the precinct,” he explained.
“Equally important is our commitment to extending this support to the people who work within it. What drew YCK to SafeSpace@elevate is not only its complete independence but also the expert support offered to all users of the platform. This expertise will lead to better outcomes for both staff and the business alike.”
Hospitality is known to be a high-risk industry, and like other industries, faces a legal obligation under the Sex Discrimination Act for employers to reshape workplace culture. Nandagopal says it is the responsibility of the industry to make workplace safety the absolute norm, and to strive for a more respectful and inclusive culture.
“The fast paced, and high-pressure nature of the hospitality industry makes it easy for varying forms of harmful workplace behaviour including sexual harassment to slip through the cracks or go unreported,” she stated.
“In addition, the composition of the workforce, where leadership teams, typically male-dominated, are in charge of managing teams that often include vulnerable groups such as young workers, migrants and refugees makes the industry more susceptible to damaging outcomes due to power imbalances, culturally unsafe practices, discrimination or unconscious bias.
“To address the unique challenges of the industry, we worked collaboratively to ensure venues managed by YCK Laneways successfully and seamlessly implement the right infrastructure for reporting and response mechanisms, and set clear policies and processes around harassment.”
