Be courteous and respectful: Shoalhaven Council supports its workers

Following on from reports of aquatic centre workers being abused at Orange last Christmas, Shoalhaven Council has opted for a zero tolerance approach to harassment of staff or any behaviour that places its workers at risk of psychological harm.

It has called on its community to be courteous and respectful in their interactions.

Under Work Health and Safety legislation, psychosocial hazards and risks are now part of the obligations of all employers to provide a safe workplace environment that equally considers physical and mental health.

This includes staff at facilities such as swimming pools, works depots, animal shelters and libraries, as well as anywhere maintenance crews, rangers and other staff are required to attend as part of their duties.

“We are committed to serving the community and genuinely want to assist in the capacity of our roles, wherever we can,” says CEO Robyn Stevens.

“Workers are often bound by legislation and policy in the duties that they are performing and understand that people may feel frustrated by the information they’re delivering. That some customers and members of the community feel from time to time that Council has not delivered as they believe it should, does not excuse behaviour that puts staff at risk of physical or psychological harm,” she says.

“Amongst our Core Values are integrity and respect and we simply ask that our community uphold those in dealing with us as well.”

To mitigate risks, Council has established its meeting practices to include a preface about respectful behaviour of all participants and attendees, and measures have been put in place at Council meetings to reduce incidents of intimidation, harassment or aggressive behaviour.

Workers are also supported to remove themselves from a situation if there is any verbal confrontation that is escalating or becoming aggressive in nature and police will be contacted as needed.

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