Tech could help workplace harassment victims: IBA paper
"Trust tech" solutions would encourage those who experience workplace harassment, but fear the consequences of reporting it, to come forward, according to a new paper from the International Bar Association.
Authored by Kieran Pender and Emma Franklin of the IBA's Legal Policy & Research Unit, Innovation-Led Cultural Change: Can Technology Effectively Address Workplace Harassment? follows up one of the recommendations in last year's IBA report, Us Too? Bullying and Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession – to explore flexible reporting models.
Examining how the emerging field of trust tech empowers workplaces, representative bodies and regulators to provide flexible channels for targets to report incidents, the authors write that, while traditionally "the fear of retaliation means many targets choose to remain silent", technological solutions are "at the forefront of new efforts to facilitate reporting".
Traditional mechanisms have required employees to speak up in-person or via email or phone to human resources staff, but empirical research has demonstrated that they may fear reprisals or lack trust in reporting channels.
Many trust tech solutions enable anonymous reporting or information escrow reporting (such as where the report is only provided to the employer if another individual reports against the same individual). Trust tech might empower more effective employer responses to incidents and facilitate stream-lined regulatory supervision.
Mr Pender commented: "Effectively addressing inappropriate behaviour within law requires a jigsaw puzzle approach. There is no one solution, no silver bullet. Instead, we require a range of innovative solutions that can change the culture that facilitates bullying and sexual harassment, and empower targets to speak up when it does occur. Trust tech is one piece of the puzzle – and an innovative and exciting puzzle piece at that."
IBA President Horacio Bernardes Neto added: "This new discussion paper provides important insight to stakeholders across the legal profession and beyond. I am proud to continue to champion work towards expunging bullying and sexual harassment from our profession. The IBA remains steadfast in its commitment to stamping out such negative behavioural patterns and if technology can assist in achieving that aim, then we must embrace it and utilise this tool to its fullest capacity."