family and domestic violence policy

Purpose
LAMPS Media understands that Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) can have a distressing and detrimental impact on the lives of employees who experience it. FDV is an issue that can disturb all aspects of an employee’s life and the negative impacts can flow to the workplace. LAMPS Media is committed to supporting employees who are experiencing family and/or domestic violence by providing a flexible, supportive and safe workplace environment.

We will do this by:

• Providing all employees with specific FDV leave entitlements
• Where appropriate, provide employees with extended access to current leave entitlements
• Providing flexible working arrangements, wherever practicable; and
• Providing resources for managers and people representatives to support employees directly and indirectly impacted by FDV

Scope
This policy applies to LAMPS Media employees across Australia. This policy is to be read in conjunction with any applicable legislation and/or industrial instrument. To the extent that an entitlement under this policy is more generous than that contained in an applicable industrial instrument or legislation, this policy shall apply.

Definitions

Family Domestic Violence
Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) means violent, threatening or other abusive behaviour by a family member on an employee that seeks to coerce or control the employee that causes them harm or to be fearful.

Family Member

• A spouse, de facto partner (including a former spouse or former de facto partner), child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of the employee;
• A child, parent, grandparent or sibling of a spouse or de facto parent of the employee (including a former spouse or de facto partner of the employee); or
• A person related to the employee according to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander kinship rules.

Eligibility

Specific Leave Entitlement – Family Support Leave Employees who experience FDV and require time off work to attend to medical appointments, legal proceedings and/or any other related activities can access Family Support Leave as set out below.

Full-time employees - Entitled to 5 days paid Family Support Leave per calendar year. This leave entitlement does not accumulate from year to year. - Entitled to unpaid leave for up to 5 days per calendar year.

Part-time employees - Family Support Leave to be calculated on the specified hours worked based on the pro-rata equivalent of a full-time employee - Entitled to unpaid leave for up to 5 days per calendar year.

Casual employees - Entitled to unpaid leave for up to 5 days per calendar year.

Extended Access to Current Leave Entitlements
Employees may access their Personal/Carer’s Leave entitlement for the purpose of Family Support Leave. Consideration will also be given to requests for up to 10 days further of unpaid leave on a case by case basis. An employee who supports a person experiencing family or domestic violence may take part of their Personal/Carer’s leave entitlement (such as to accompany them to court or hospital or to mind children).

Flexible Work Arrangements Support
To provide a safe and supportive workplace for an employee experiencing domestic or family violence, LAMPS Media may consider any reasonable request for:

• Changes to their span of hours, pattern of hours and/or shifts
• Job redesign or change of duties
• Relocation to suitable employment within the company
• A change to their telephone number or email address to avoid harassing contact
• Any other appropriate measure including those available under existing provisions for family friendly and flexible working arrangements
• Any request for flexible work arrangements must be made and will be considered in accordance with any relevant industrial instrument applying to the employee and their employer

Procedure
In keeping with the Company’s commitment to support employees who may be experiencing FDV, the following guidelines will assist in determining the responsibilities of managers and employees.

Employees
Employees who are experiencing FDV and have concerns about their health, welfare or safety may:

• Confirm their application for FDV leave by submitting the leave request, and include any supporting documentation if required such as; a medical certificate, a document issued by the police service, court, district nurse or lawyer, family violence service or a statutory declaration
• Consider seeking support from the Company’s Employee Assistance Program
• Consider approaching their manager or a senior member of the business with whom they feel comfortable to have a confidential conversation related to their concern
• Consider discussing flexible work arrangements to support them in feeling safe at work

Managers
Managers are responsible for:

• Offering support to employees who may require assistance as a result of experiencing family and domestic violence;
• Providing advice to employees about accessing the Company’s Employee Assistance Program;
• Accessing the resources available through the Company’s Employee Assistance Policies and Procedures and attending any mandatory training during their employment as required by the company to support employees who may require assistance as a result of experiencing family and domestic violence;
• Supporting and approving the employees’ FDV leave application, requesting supporting documentation if required.

Recording of Information
Information pertaining to a disclosure of family violence is kept strictly confidential and will not be recorded on the employee’s personnel file without their express permission (with the exception of recording family violence leave form).

Only with the employee’s consent, only information that is directly relevant to the workplace will be recorded and stored securely and confidentially within restricted Human Resource personnel files:

• The date and time discussions occurred.
• The support provided and discussed with the employee, including referral options and resources provided.
• The completed employee leave form.
• Whether a referral has been made to justice services, for example, the police or child protection.

Confidentiality
Personal information concerning FDV will be kept confidential. In exceptional circumstances, such as imminent risk to the health or safety of the affected employee and/or the employee’s co-workers, information may be disclosed in consultation with the employee experiencing FDV.

workplace health and safety policy

Purpose
LAMPS Media is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment and Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) systems for our workers, contractors, visitors and clients. The business accepts the obligations and duties stated within relevant national and state WHS and Workers Compensation Legislation, Regulations and Standards.

Objectives:
In maintaining this commitment, the organisation will:

• Provide safe plant, substances and systems of work suitable for the intended purpose in the workplace and meet safety requirements;
• Provide written procedures and instructions to ensure safe systems of work;
• Ensure compliance with legislative requirements and other relevant standards;
• Provide information, instruction, training and supervision to employees, contractors and customers to undertake their duties safely and without risks to health;
• Identify and control key and potential workplace issues to ensure that all hazards are identified, the associated risks assessed and appropriate measures introduced to control these risks;
• Establish measurable objectives and targets and ensure continuous improvement aimed at eliminating work related injuries and illnesses.

The Senior Management Team
Accept overall accountability and responsibility for the effective management and monitoring of WHS within LAMPS Media, taking into account the size of the organisation.

Senior Employees are responsible for ensuring that;

• They implement this policy and the objectives in their area of responsibility and scope.
• Immediate steps are taken to inform Management should any identified WHS risks and potential hazards arising from work activities.
• Relevant health and safety issues are promptly escalated as necessary.

Employees are responsible for:

• Cooperating with measures introduced in the interests of WHS, including procedures, safe work practices and instructions.
• Notifying management of any potential hazards, incidents or near misses.
• Carrying out their duties in a manner which does not adversely affect health and safety of themselves or others, which includes the introduction of a new process or task that may affect the health and safety of others.
• Undertaking only those tasks for which they have authorisation and/or the necessary training.

Contractors and Visitors
All contractors working for the business are required to comply with these WHS policies and procedures and must follow the directions from LAMPS Media management or representatives.

Consultation and Review of the Policy
Work will be planned to avoid foreseeable hazardous situations and conditions. If any workplace changes could affect the health and safety of workers, consultation will occur between the relevant parties. This policy is regularly monitored and revised in the light of legislative, best practice or business changes.

diversity and inclusion policy

Purpose
This Diversity and Inclusion Policy reflects LAMPS Media’s commitment to create a workplace that is fair and inclusive and to build a workforce which embraces the diversity of our community.

LAMPS Media supports a workplace where employee differences in areas such as gender, sexual preferences, age, disability, family responsibilities, ethnicity and cultural background are valued - as well as any other employee differences, such as perspectives and beliefs.

LAMPS Media supports a culture which promotes flexibility and work life balance. This support is demonstrated by providing flexible work options to encourage employees to balance work and personal needs.

LAMPS Media recognises that having flexible working arrangements, supports females and males in particular when returning to the workplace after parental leave and balancing childcare responsibilities.

The Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Provides guidance for the development and implementation of relevant plans, programs and initiatives to recognise and promote workforce diversity across the company at all times.

Scope
The policy applies to all employees, contractors and clients of LAMPS Media.

Commitment
LAMPS Media is committed to:

• Ensuring all recruitment activities are undertaken in line with this policy
• Where possible and based on merit maximise the opportunities to bridge gaps in gender diversity within the company
• Monitor our performance in bridging existing diversity gaps and measure achievement towards objectives
• Maintain and drive a flexible workforce where practically possible

Diversity Objectives
LAMPS Media’s objectives under this policy are;

• Promote a workplace culture that supports diversity and inclusion
• To provide a flexible workplace taking into consideration gender, sexual preferences, age, disability, family responsibilities, ethnicity and cultural background
• To provide fair and equitable access to professional development, to ensure we have a pipeline of upcoming leaders with a focus on the participation of women and other commonly underrepresented groups
• Promote recruitment and selection practices which recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion to ensure we select the appropriate person each and every time based on merit

Roles and Responsibility
The management of LAMPS Media will assess annually our achievement towards our diversity and inclusion objectives and review the company's diversity and inclusion status.

Once reviewed, if necessary LAMPS Media will look at ways to improve opportunities and make changes to allow it to work towards its diversity and inclusion objectives.

Programs and initiatives to Support Diversity and Inclusion: LAMPS Media Management will continue to hone its processes to encourage our team to source and promote diversity and inclusion, both vertically and horizontally within our teams and with externally engaged and affiliated parties, based on skill and merit.

equal employment opportunity policy

Purpose
LAMPS Media aims to provide an environment where employees and others in the workplace are treated fairly and with respect, are free from behaviour that is considered unlawful discrimination, harassment, vilification or bullying.

LAMPS Media being an equal opportunity employer aims to ensure that we provide the same opportunities for hiring, advancement and benefits to everyone without discrimination. When candidates are considered for placement these decisions are made based on merit, not on irrelevant attributes or characteristics that an individual may possess.

This policy is to convey clearly to employees and contractors that any behaviour which may constitute unlawful discrimination will not be tolerated at LAMPS Media

Scope
Our Equal Employment Opportunity Policy applies to all employees, job candidates, contractors, stakeholders, partners and visitors.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Laws
Under EEO and the relevant safety laws, discrimination, vilification, sexual harassment, bullying and victimisation are unlawful and strictly prohibited.

Direct Discrimination
Discrimination in employment occurs when a person is treated less favourably than another in their employment because of a reason or ground which is prohibited by law. The prohibited grounds of discrimination are set out in Federal, State and Territory anti-discrimination laws and include descrimination based on;

• Age
• Sex/ Gender (Gender Identity)
• Physical Features
• Sexual Preferences
• Ethnicity/ Nationality
• Religion
• Disability
• Medical History
• Race (including colour, nationality, ethic, ethno-religion or national origin)
• Pregnancy
• Marital Status

Indirect Discrimination
Indirect discrimination may occur when an employer imposes a policy, requirement or condition which applies to everyone equally but it in fact operates to disadvantage a particular group because of a characteristic of that group, such as their sex, age, race (i.e. a prohibited ground of discrimination).

Discrimination also includes the situation where a worker harasses another person based on a ground of discrimination. Harassment is unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would expect to offend, humiliate or intimidate.

Bullying
Workplace bullying is repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or a group of employees, that creates a risk to health and safety. Repeated behaviour refers to the persistent nature of the behaviour and can refer to a range of behaviours, obvious and subtle, over time.
Bullying is a hazard because it may affect the emotional, mental and physical health of employees.

The risk of bullying is minimised in workplaces where everyone treats each other with dignity and respect.

Unreasonable behaviour means behaviour that a reasonable person, having regard for the circumstances, would see as victimising, humiliating, undermining and or threatening.

Examples of direct bullying include;

• Abusive, insulting or offensive language
• Behaviour/ language that frightens or humiliates.
• Spreading malice rumours/ misinformation
• Inappropriate comments around appearance, family, lifestyle
• Practical jokes or making someone the “brunt of a joke”
• Interfering with personal possessions

Examples of indirect bullying include;

• Setting unreasonable workloads (overloading or underloading)
• Setting difficult timelines or changing deadlines unreasonably
• Setting tasks that are unreasonably above or below a person’s skill set
• Deliberately excluding, isolating or marginalising a person from normal work
• Withholding information so a task cannot be completed
• Deliberately changing work arrangements to the detriment of the person impacted

Bullying can be intentional where the actions are intended to humiliate, offend, intimidate or distress. Any such behaviour is considered bullying even if such behaviours do not have the intended effect on the victim.

Bullying can also be unintentional; where actions, which although not intended to humiliate, could reasonably have been expected to cause that effect. If this is the case, it will not diminish the effect on the victim.

Impact of Bullying and Harassment
Bullying and harassment can be harmful for the employees who experience it and those who witness it. Each individual will react differently and may be impacted differently. Consequences of bullying and harassment for victims include;

• Physical illness
• Mental illness
• Reduced performance
• Increased absence from the workplace (psychologically and or physically)
• Loss of esteem
• Feeling isolated
• Distress, anxiety, panic attacks, sleep disturbances

What is not considered bullying?
Differences of opinion, performance management, conflicts and personality clashes can occur in any workplace but usually do not result in bullying. A single incident of unreasonable behaviour is not considered bullying, although it may have the potential to escalate into bullying so should not be ignored.

Key staff are responsible for assessing our company's processes and ensuring they are bias-free. Whenever we find biases interfering, we will act immediately to refine our processes, train our people to combat their biases and protect possible victims of any such biases. We will give everyone the chance to work in an environment where their rights are respected.

Reasonable management action, carried out in a fair, reasonable and legally permissible manner, is not considered bullying. Managers have a right to direct the way in which work is carried out and to monitor and provide feedback on performance to stakeholders.

Vilification
Vilification is a public act which incites hatred; severe contempt or severe ridicule of a person or group, because of age, race, homosexuality, transgender, medical history or some other thing. Vilification is a particularly serious breach of EEO laws and will be dealt with accordingly.

Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated. Conduct can amount to sexual harassment even if the person did not intend to offend, humiliate or intimidate the other person. However, conduct will not be sexual harassment if a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would not have anticipated that the conduct would offend, humiliate or intimidate the other person. Sexual harassment does not have to be directed at a particular individual to be unlawful. Behaviour which creates a hostile working environment for other employees can also be unlawful.

Victimisation
Victimisation is where a person is retaliated against or subjected to a detriment because they have lodged a complaint, they intend to lodge a complaint or they are involved in a complaint of unlawful conduct. Employees must not retaliate against a person or subject them to any detriment if they raise a complaint, intent to lodge a complaint or they are involved in a complaint.

LAMPS Media will not tolerate victimisation and may take disciplinary action in response to any victimisation it becomes aware of. LAMPS Media will ensure, as far as is practicable, that persons covered by the scope of this policy are not victimised or penalised for reporting alleged unreasonable behaviour. Any worker who is found to have victimised a worker, who has made or intends to make a complaint, or is a witness or associate of the worker who has made, or intends to make, a complaint, will be subject to the consequences of breaching this policy.

Responsibilities of Managers
It is integral to managers’ responsibilities that they identify, prevent and redress potential problems in the workplace at all times.

Employees Responsibilities
To understand and comply with this policy, employees should be aware that they can be held legally responsible for their unlawful behaviour and or conduct. Employees who aid and abet or encourage other people to engage in unlawful conduct can also be legally liable.

To promote equal opportunity, we first ensure we follow EEOC regulations and EEO laws that apply to LAMPS Media.

We will also take additional actions to promote fairness and diversity as part of our equal employment opportunity policy - please refer to our Diversity and Inclusion Policy for further details.

Disciplinary Consequences
When someone discriminates, they will be subject to disciplinary action depending on the severity of their actions. For example, unintentionally offending a co-worker might warrant a reprimand, but harassing someone systematically might result in education, demotion or termination.