One in three people have experienced sexual harassment at work.

Employees can apply to the Fair Work Commission for help dealing with workplace sexual harassment disputes.

To assist this process and minimise the occurrence of harassment at work, the Commission wanted to create an informative online learning module to educate the general public on four topics: what workplace sexual harassment is, who is most likely to experience it, the impact it has, and the role of the Commission in dealing with workplace sexual harassment.

Because the module can be accessed as a training resource by anyone in Australia, inclusivity was a key objective. While aiming to educate all audiences, it was also essential to dedicate sensitivity to a potentially triggering subject.

Click to view the live module.

Strategy

Having previously developed the Fair Work Commission’s learning management system and interest-based bargaining modules, we had prior understanding of the organisation’s identity, requirements and end users — allowing us to craft a consistent and complementary module for its learning series.

Consultation began with the Commission’s General Manager and core project group. During this meeting, the General Manager outlined his main goals for the module — to provide users with an overview of workplace sexual harassment and to encourage them to stop (and prevent) its occurrence.

This consultation also highlighted key audience considerations, with three key audience groups: employers, employees and bystanders.  To be effective, the module needed to take a trauma-informed approach and engage with the subject in a way that met the diverse needs of its audience.

We decided to bring a perspective approach to the module, using characters to represent each role. This would allow us to build on common thought processes and feelings around workplace sexual harassment.

We then hosted a strategic workshop with a focused group of Commission staff, subject matter experts and plain language experts to test two learning frameworks outlining proposed user journeys, videos and activities.

Through ongoing feedback and collaboration, a preferred framework was selected, refined and approved for content development.

Video

Live action video production forms a core component of the module, serving as a linking thread throughout the learning journey. Casting actors who could convey the different nuances of each perspective was essential. Prior to the shoot date, we conducted a series of screen tests of individual and shared scenes at our Sydney office. Final casting decisions were made in collaboration with the core project team, who reviewed tests and provided feedback.

Users witness the shared experiences of barista Nadia (who experiences workplace sexual harassment), her manager Matt (who carries out the workplace sexual harassment), and her colleague Desi (a bystander to the harassment) — watching a single scenario play out from multiple perspectives.

Each point of view ends in a reflection on a key lesson from the journey. After Nadia’s perspective, users learn that sexual harassment can take many forms, and that anyone can experience workplace sexual harassment. After Matt’s perspective, users learn that intent is irrelevant. And after Desi’s perspective, users learn that workplace sexual harassment has wide-reaching impacts.

After watching these perspectives, users have the opportunity to participate in the scenario as part of an interactive “choose a path” experience. Options include standing up to Matt (as Desi), checking on Nadia (as Desi), apologising to Nadia (as Matt), and listening to Nadia’s thoughts (as Nadia). Aside from listening to two internal monologues, no other decisions can be made by Nadia. This was a deliberate decision, because no one asks to be sexually harassed and it is not their responsibility to stop it.

The shooting schedule was intensive. Over the course of one day, we captured 17 separate scenes ranging in length from 10 seconds to 3 minutes. Continuity was especially important to the “choose a path” scenes, as each new decision had to seamlessly flow from a previous take.

Scenes were captured on two different cameras and in multiple angles and shooting styles to enhance the differences in perspective for the viewer. They were then graded subtly in post-production to embody the varied emotions attached to each point of view.

Online learning

Using the live action video as a guiding pathway, we created a learning journey that flows logically through key themes — from developing a general understanding of what workplace sexual harassment is, to the impacts it has, to the responsibility that certain people have to prevent it in the workplace.

Optimised for desktop, laptop, mobile and tablet operating systems, the module is inclusive in a number of ways. It begins with a content warning, providing links to support organisations and emergency services. Plain language ensures users can understand and engage with learning, and voice over and closed captions are included for accessibility. Using a trauma-informed approach, we deliberately allow users the choice to skip through videos if they feel distressed, or exit the module at any time, with few mandatory parameters to module completion.

Illustrations are soft, rounded and non-threatening. Using the Commission’s blue and green colour palette as a base, they introduce diversity through gender, ability and race.

Due to the trauma-informed approach, there are no actual testing components. Interactive activities encourage users to engage with content by considering context and clicking to expand options, but the module does not contain right or wrong answers.

The module is successful in its aims of explaining workplace sexual harassment, reporting, protection and obligations. It is a timeless, engaging and informative resource that incorporates the perspectives of all possible users, to provide a gentle, yet serious, learning experience.

View the Commission’s Online Learning Portal.

The Commission’s General Manager, Murray Furlong, says that he was blown away by the end result.