Section 2: The current context for this Inquiry The Inquiry heard that workers who had experienced sexual harassment valued getting information and support about their options from a source independent from their employer. Overall, lower trends of union membership may have contributed to lower awareness among workers of their workplace rights, less collective action and support between workers, and less representative complaints and advocacy by trade unions. As the nature and characteristics of the world of work evolve, so too must Australia’s approach to preventing and responding to workplace sexual harassment. As discussed above, a broader approach to protections for workers against sexual harassment is consistent with the approach being taken at an international level to address violence and harassment in the world of work. (b) Technological change Digital disruption has not only changed the nature of the employment; it has also changed people’s interactions in the workplace. The increased availability of digital communication channels—including emails, instant messaging, enterprise social media and other forms of online collaboration—have shifted and blurred the boundaries of the workplace. These digital technologies are also collapsing the distinction between online and offline mediums and private and professional lives. 76 Sensis conducts annual surveys of consumers and small, medium and large businesses to track social media usage. In 2018, nearly nine out of ten online consumers (88%) use social media sites and more than a third of people (34%) now access social media more than five times per day.66 Social media use spans a number of locations, including the workplace.67 In 2018, Sensis found the proportion of businesses with a social media presence had reached the highest level recorded since they began reporting in 2010. Sensis found that 85% of large businesses surveyed maintained a social media presence, along with more than half the small (51%) and medium businesses (58%) participating in the survey.68 With businesses increasingly relying on social media for advertising and consumer engagement, many workers are increasingly expected to engage with these platforms in a professional context. Workers who rely on digital platforms for their work and social media to build their networks are particularly vulnerable to online sexual harassment. This issue is discussed in Section 3.3, ‘Nature of sexual harassment in the workplace’, particularly in relation to female journalists, politicians, commentators and activists. Digital technology and social media have reconceptualised the contemporary employment relationship and fundamentally altered the reach, speed and permanency of work-related conduct and expectations.69