DOLE Urges Businesses to Ensure Safe Workspaces

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is urging employers and workers to ensure that their workplaces are safe from gender-based sexual harassment (GBSH).

In a recent orientation session for frontline workers at SM Supermalls nationwide, DOLE Undersecretary Benjo Santos M. Benavidez emphasized the importance of creating a safe workspace, particularly in preventing GBSH.

This session highlighted the shared responsibility of employers and employees in the private sector to combat GBSH at work and shed light on the Safe Spaces Act, officially known as Republic Act No. 11313.

Citing the provisions of the law, Undersecretary Benjo Santos M. Benavidez emphasized that co-workers are not only urged to provide emotional or social support to fellow employees, colleagues, or peers who are victims of GBSH, but he also stressed the critical role of employers in preventing, deterring, and punishing GBSH acts in the workplace.

Establishments are mandated to establish a Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI), an internal grievance mechanism, as required by DOLE. The CODI’s primary responsibility is to investigate and resolve GBSH complaints. According to the law, the CODI should be a diverse body, adequately representing management, supervisory employees, rank-and-file employees, and, if applicable, the union. Additionally, a woman must lead the committee, with at least half of its members being women.

The Committee’s duties include observing due process, investigating and deciding on complaints within 10 days or less from receipt, and ensuring the protection of complainants from retaliation while maintaining strict confidentiality to the greatest extent possible.

Engr. Liza Silerio, SM Supermalls VP for Corporate Compliance Group, emphasizes their commitment to the Safe Spaces Act, ensuring that SM remains a safe and welcoming space for all customers.

“We must uphold this Act and ensure that SM Supermalls remain a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all. Today’s orientation is one way of reinforcing and promoting an open and nurturing environment as we serve each and every customer that comes into our mall,” said Silerio. (ASC)