Workplace equality: Contact officer essentials (introduction)

This program equips participants with knowledge and skills to be a contact officer – a vital and impartial first point of contact for someone who thinks they may be experiencing or witnessing discrimination, sexual harassment or victimisation in their workplace.

Contact officers provide reliable information, referral, and support to people with these experiences.

By meeting with a contact officer, a person can confidentially and informally talk about their concerns, identify their issues, get informed and weigh up the best option for resolution. These options include internal organisational processes and practices, and external complaint handling mechanisms.

Contact officers are an important part of any organisation’s risk management and equal opportunity, compliance strategy.

Audience
New contact officers

Dates
Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 May 2024 (in-person only)
Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 September 2024

Time
10am–1pm (all sessions)

Length
2 x three-hour units

Cost
$792 inc. GST for the course ($396 per unit)

The program consists of two units.

In unit 1* (knowledge – law and policies), participants will:

• consider standards of healthy and appropriate workplace behaviour according to their – organisation’s policies and workplace laws
• explore the purpose of the Contact Officer role and what the role is and is not
• consider their organisation’s expectations of the role
• begin to develop the knowledge and skills required to be a contact officer.

In unit 2* (skills – information and support), participants will:

• explore the options that exist to resolve complaints and how they can support others to understand and choose a suitable option
• practise the skills required to be an effective Contact Officer
• consider the challenges that a Contact Officers might face and how to manage these.

*Please note: Unit 1 must be taken before unit 2. Both units need to be taken to complete the course.

Delivery mode
Live online via Zoom

These interactive and experiential workshops use practical small group activities, including hypothetical case scenarios and practical role plays, to build participant capacity and confidence to provide information and support to colleagues who disclose experiences of discrimination, sexual harassment or victimisation at work.

Participants will also be introduced to a range of Commission resources frameworks and resources to support ongoing actions to comply with the law and create respectful workplace culture.

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We are the experts in Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities (2006), the Equal Opportunity Act (2010) and the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act (2021).

Our courses can help you and your organisation develop, adopt and drive leading practice on equal opportunity and human rights, and prevent discrimination.