Amanda Rose: How to stop a colleague watching porn in the office

Pornography has no place in the office and it leaves colleagues offended, humiliated and intimidated. Here’s how to stop it.

I was asked a tricky question this week … what do you do if you see someone watching porn on their personal device in the office?

I gave a straightforward answer …. tell them to stop.

There is no place for this in a work environment. It is disgusting and disrespectful.

Watching porn during your shift can be considered sexual harassment, which the Human Rights Commission of Australia defines as any unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour where a reasonable person would have anticipated the possibility that the person harassed would feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.

Watching porn at work when others can see or be aware of what you are doing can be considered sexual harassment.

These are not the days of old when men used to hang calendars of naked women in the work space. Times have changed.

This act falls into the same category as when you see someone being sexually harassed physically or verbally. In that case you would step in to stop it and say “Hey I saw what you did, don’t do it again.”
No different here.

HOW TO APPROACH IT
When approaching someone about this issue, I suggest starting the conversation with their best interests at heart.

“Hey, you might not realise that what you are doing is inappropriate. I’m raising it because I’m trying to save your butt. If I can see you’re doing it, others can see it. Stop.”

If they give you pushback and refuse to stop, tell the boss. After all, watching porn at work is selfish, offensive and totally inappropriate. Your colleagues are not being paid to do that, they are being paid to work.

Workers are encouraged to stop any form of sexual harassment they see at work.

DUTY OF CARE

There is a duty of care to ensure everyone at work feels comfortable and respected. Thankfully, we have laws in place for people that don’t have common sense and respect for others. It’s a serious issue and requires serious action.

* Amanda Rose is a key mentor and career adviser, and the founder of Small Business Women Australia.

Do you have a work query for Amanda? Email [e-mail]