The Brief: Addressing a Sensitive Topic in a Complex IT Consulting Environment
MSG Plaut – a Vienna-based IT consulting company with around 750 consultants and part of the international msg Group, employing more than 10,000 people worldwide across 14 locations in 9 countries and generating annual revenue of more than €95 million – commissioned the Austrian Leadership Academy to address the topic of sexual harassment in the workplace from legal, organisational and cultural perspectives.
The objective was to create a comprehensive understanding of how sexual harassment occurs, the dynamics it creates in male-dominated technical environments, and the legal responsibilities of employees, bystanders and leaders. A particular focus was placed on the realities of IT consulting, where consultants often work on client premises for extended periods and are regularly exposed to different workplace cultures and organisational environments.
The Challenge: Uncertainty, Limited Guidance and Complex Client Relationships
As in many male-dominated industries, the topic had previously been addressed only on an occasional basis. This resulted in considerable uncertainty: Where do inappropriate behaviours begin? How early should concerns be addressed? How should incidents be raised, particularly within client organisations? For consultants who frequently work independently in client projects, these situations represent some of the most challenging grey areas.
At the same time, there was no consistent organisational process defining both preventive measures and appropriate responses. For an IT consulting company of this size – with a highly project-based structure and internationally distributed teams – this represented a significant organisational risk.
Our Approach: Analysis, Anonymous Pre-Workshop Survey and a Tailor-Made Training Programme
The project began with developing a deep understanding of the company's working environment, including consulting engagements, power dynamics, client settings, team structures and internal communication culture.
This was followed by an anonymous survey of all participants, providing valuable insight into existing experiences, uncertainties and industry-specific challenges.
Based on these findings, we designed a three-part workshop programme, each lasting four hours, covering awareness, prevention, response strategies and organisational process development. The programme was specifically tailored to an IT consulting business whose employees frequently work at client sites with a high degree of personal responsibility and autonomy.
The Programme: Three Workshops, One Integrated Learning Journey
Workshop 1: Awareness and Legal Guidance
The first workshop focused on establishing a clear, evidence-based understanding of the key questions:
What constitutes sexual harassment? How does it present itself in everyday working life? Where are the legal boundaries?
Participants examined realistic scenarios from IT consulting, including inappropriate behaviour within client organisations, unequal project structures and ambiguous situations within teams.
Particular emphasis was placed on helping participants understand their own responsibilities and available courses of action, especially when working away from company offices in external project environments.
Workshop 2: Prevention, Effective Response and Team Dynamics
The second workshop explored how effective prevention can be implemented in practice and how individuals and organisations should respond when workplace boundaries are crossed.
A major focus was placed on allyship, not as a fashionable concept but as a practical team capability that strengthens workplace culture and psychological safety.
The workshops were jointly facilitated by Nina Alice Bauregger and Michael Hagelmüller, allowing both female and male perspectives to be represented equally and creating a genuinely balanced dialogue.
The discussion around the frequently asked question, "What are we still allowed to say?", helped reduce uncertainty while providing practical guidance and confidence for everyone involved.
Workshop 3: Organisational Processes, Policies and Long-Term Cultural Integration
The final workshop brought together managers and employees to develop preventive and responsive organisational processes specifically tailored to MSG Plaut.
Participants defined reporting procedures, clarified responsibilities, designed confidential reporting channels and developed practical workplace policies suitable for a decentralised, client-focused consulting organisation.
Another key focus was ensuring these structures could become a sustainable part of the company's culture despite extensive business travel, remote project work and long-term client assignments.
The Outcome: Greater Clarity, Confidence and a Stronger Culture of Responsibility
The workshop programme resulted in a significant improvement in both organisational capability and workplace culture.
Employees now have a much clearer understanding of how sexual harassment in the workplace develops, how to respond at an early stage—particularly in external client environments—and what their legal rights and responsibilities are.
MSG Plaut now benefits from a robust, practical and legally compliant organisational process that protects affected employees, supports managers and enables the organisation to respond consistently and effectively.
The multi-perspective discussions also strengthened collaboration, reduced uncertainty and encouraged a more open and respectful communication culture.
For an IT consulting company such as MSG Plaut, this represents an essential foundation for creating a modern, safe, inclusive and responsible workplace.