MARAD staff contributes to organisation’s sexual harassment policy update

The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) sought the contribution of staff in bolstering the organisation’s sexual harassment policy. 19 members of staff participated in a sexual harassment workshop held in the boardroom at the Ministry of Public Works.

Senior Administrative Officer, Odetta Paul said that the session was very interactive, and there was support from the staff at all levels. “We are looking to implement this policy which reflects staff input in the near future” Paul added.

Participants expressed their appreciation for the workshop and commended MARAD’s management for including them in formulating an addendum to the policy.

Ashley Drakes, Legal Assistant, said that it was a very informative session, “we went over the draft policy for MARAD, which is MARAD’s new sexual harassment policy that should be implemented soon and it is just to integrate the staff into fine-tuning the policy using their feedback to make adjustments.” Drakes also explained that she learnt that there is a vast difference between sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.

Jeneise Hayde, a clerk in the Administrative Office explained that she was grateful for all that she learnt. “We are trying to implement new policies for the workers to have a safe haven where they can come to file complaints,” said Hayde.

IT Technician, Marvin Lyte also expressed his satisfaction with the session. “Some of the practices highlighted in the presentation, I was familiar with and of course, it was a reminder for me and I am very happy for this as I understand that it was something that has been in the pipeline for a little while and I was very happy that with so many young people in the organization working, and sometimes we may not even understand that we are behaving in a way which may be sexual harassment, so it was very informative and I think my other colleagues could have related to it as well,” added Lyte.

Taking an active approach to address sexual harassment and misconduct in the organisation is one of the many approaches taken by MARAD to create a safe and productive work environment for all members of staff. The session was facilitated by consultant Donna Tucker, Chief Executive Officer of Labour Relations Advisory Services.