Action vs Reaction: how workplaces can reframe their policies to best serve survivors of sexual harassment and assault.

With #iwd2023 a week behind us, I've been reflecting on a speech I gave in 2021, at the inaugural WPP AUNZ Perth Campus International Women's Day event.

Brittany Higgins had spoken out about her experiences in parliament about a month prior. I remember my hands and voice shaking, my face flushed. I also remember the warm, enthusiastic response and support I received afterwards from the women and men in the room. I'm so proud of my 25-year-old self, and so grateful for the opportunity to share my story and thoughts with my then-colleagues and wider agency network.

And now, two years on, I'd like to share (an abridged version) with a wider audience, here on the World Wide Web.

Content Warning: This speech discusses sexual harassment and assault. If you are affected, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 13 11 14, or seek other support. You are not alone.

The beginning

Anyone who’s been watching the news lately will know that sexual harassment and assault in the workplace is a hot topic right now. And everyone in this room knows that it’s an issue that reaches far beyond parliament house.?

It’s also one of the reasons I’ve become such an advocate for all issues women face in the workforce. So I’d like to start by reading you what I classify as my first action of advocacy — an article I wrote for Campaign Brief in 2018, with the help of several women in advertising in Perth.

Note: In the interest of shortening this article, I've opted to include a link above rather than copying it in.

It was a How-To guide on how not to sexually harass or assault people at industry events, which ended like this:

And for those of you intimately familiar with these situations, don’t do it again. Yes, these are all real incidents recounted by the people who experienced them.

(And as a side note, several more incidents were called out in the comments.)

Alright, back to the speech.

My story

As many of you may have guessed, and as any of my friends in the room will know, one of those stories is mine. I was 21. And I definitely fell into the ADF General Angus Campbell’s ‘Four As’ for avoiding assault — advice he shared LAST WEEK to his female cadets?— alcohol, out after midnight, alone, (and if I must say it, attractive).

And nearly four years on, while I have largely made peace with the whole situation, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t still affect me. But today I want to talk about some of the positive change it has effected. The lemonade, if you like, of a very sour situation.

After the article was published, I was encouraged to join the Perth Advertising and Design Club (PADC) committee. There, I helped draft the club’s first official statement and zero tolerance policy against sexual harassment and assault at their events. It was sent out with every single ticket for the PADC Skulls that year, and still sits on our website today.

To my knowledge, this was the first time any such specific statement had been made by Perth advertisers. I’d like to thank Wunderman Thompson Australia 's WT’s Melissa Radman , Vice President of the PADC, for helping me to write it, and her ongoing advocacy for women in the industry.

Furthermore, before I spoke up about my experience, my previous workplace did not have a specific sexual harassment policy that included both employee and supplier behaviour at industry events. I’d like to thank one of today’s other speakers Melanie Wiese for believing me, supporting me and writing that policy.

Sexual harassment policy writing

I return often to this quote by Michaela Coel from her brilliant show, I May Destroy You, which I highly recommend you all watch.

"In this grey area, where nothing is quite clear, no one can be clear. We can’t articulate or pinpoint exactly what they did that we felt was so wrong. But when this area ceases to exist, we will show you exactly what we mean by violation."

When we clearly define what constitutes sexual harassment, everyone benefits.

Firstly, it means there is no excuse for those who say they didn’t know any better.?But more importantly, this clarity helps victims know what happened to them was sexual harassment, and was not acceptable.

Because as Michaela says, it can be hard to articulate exactly what felt “off”. I think this happens to women a lot in particular because we are taught to minimise and rationalise these behaviours and dismiss the feelings that come with them.

For me, the best way I have learned to frame harassment is action versus reaction. The action itself may not be defined as harassment, depending on who and how they receive it.

It all sounds a bit simplistic, but for example, giving your partner a kiss is unlikely to make them feel uncomfortable. But giving your colleague a kiss probably will. Action versus reaction.

And it goes for topics of conversation, too. How will this person react to me telling them their legs look great in those shoes? Do I have the relationship with this person to tell them about my sex life? I had a close female friend quietly tell me my boobs looked great one day at work. Awesome, thank you. I loved it. If it had come from a different person, I probably would have loved it less. Action versus reaction.

But 'action versus reaction' is more than another one of my handy how-to guides for those people that ‘didn’t know any better’.

This framework helps me to know when my own boundaries have been crossed, regardless of the action itself or the person’s intent. And empowers me to call it out if necessary, and if I feel safe to do so. And I hope it will be helpful for you, too.

Because all of us will react to different actions in different ways. An action from a colleague might not bother you, but the same situation might bother someone else. Neither of you are wrong. It’s all about the reaction.

Sexual harassment policies can implement this framework by defining examples of sexual harassment more specifically, by both the action itself and the reaction it receives. Empowering people to recognise when they’ve been harassed, and to speak up about it, knowing their complaint will be taken seriously. And know that the perpetrator will face specific consequences.

And that’s just a first thought. I certainly don’t claim to know it all, or have the answers. But when I look around this room, I think together, we just might.

Because everyone here today is part of this enormous network of the most creative and strategic problem solvers and brilliant minds in Perth, in Australia, in the world. I know that when we put those heads together, we can tackle this issue, and every issue discussed today, to make our industry the best it can possibly be for everyone in it.?

Q&A

How do you think our industry shapes up when it comes to gender bias/inequality/stereotypes?

Creative departments in Perth are overwhelmingly male. It is improving — in the last five years I’ve seen the number of female creative directors in Perth go from zero to two, which when you account for the small size of our industry is pretty statistically significant. I’m a firm believer in the saying, "if you can see it, you can be it." So female representation at every level will only encourage more women to be creatives. The talent there is already growing. We just need to make sure we’re hiring them.

How would you address these issues?

I’m tutoring AWARD School this year so I’m really looking forward to help train up the next pool of talent, and I’ll be looking out especially for female creatives to mentor and encourage their potential. It just makes good business sense — WPP’s inclusive marketing playbook tells us diverse workforces report 59% increase in creativity, innovation, and openness, and about 20% higher revenues. And women make 89% of household purchasing decisions. Why wouldn’t we want to have creative made by teams that understand that audience better than anyone?

What female myths or taboos need to be broken?

That men are going to “get me-too-ed”. I’ll caveat this with saying there isn’t the best data on this because sexual assault is overwhelmingly under reported let alone prosecuted but it’s estimated that 0.6% of rape allegations are false. 99.4% of the time, she is telling the truth. Believe her.

If you could go back, what advice would you give yourself on your very first day, to help you to #ChooseToChallenge?

I had the privilege of working under a senior female creative at my first job, who later became my creative director at my second job, Rikki Burns . Rikki set me up to 'Choose to Challenge' our largely male workforce and industry pretty much from day one.

But I guess I’d say to be myself more. I think there’s a pressure to act like the men around you in order to earn their respect. But there’s proven value in diversity, so I’d tell myself to embrace that diversity a bit more.?

If you have been affected by any issues raised in this article, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 13 11 14, or seek other support. You are not alone.