Equally safe at work

Members today wholeheartedly gave their support to a report to Council on tackling gender-based violence.

Highland Council has been working closely with trade union colleagues and Close the Gap to create a zero-tolerance culture towards gender-based violence.

Gender-based violence affects all aspects of women’s lives, including employment and the Council is committed to supporting women so they can stay in work and access the services they need.

Throughout the past year the Council has been progressing an action plan, which is designed to deliver against the six standards of the Equally Safe at Work (ESAW) accreditation programme.

One of the key aspects is leadership, which plays a crucial role in creating and sustaining a change-oriented organisational culture. It is proposed to create this culture through policy development, training and communication.

Lesley Weber, Executive Chief Officer for Health and Social Care, said: “It is statistically likely that within our places of employment there will be colleagues and employees who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse or other forms of gender based violence.  As set out in the Equally Safe at Work paper, Highland council is committed to addressing and tackling gender-based violence through policy, training, communication and enabling an effective reporting mechanism.  Highland Council is committed to working towards the accreditation of Equally Safe at Work, and through strong leadership will promote both the principles and commit to sustained organisational culture change. 

“Having the genuine support of leaders in advancing gender equality will send a powerful message to the workforce that this work is very much a priority. It is essential that we demonstrate commitment to, and investment in, the Equally Safe at Work programme, and create a zero-tolerance culture.”

Members attending today’s full meeting of Highland Council agreed to champion the work of officers to progress gender equality at Highland Council. They also agreed that training and information materials are made available to elected members both through induction and the member development programme.

If you, or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse or any other form of gender based violence, support is available through a range of support services across Highland.  http://hcpc.scot/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Support-Services-directory-2017-v2.pdf

If you, or someone you know is in immediate danger, please phone the police on 999.