The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, popularly known as the POSH Act, was passed by the Indian government in 2013. The Act makes an organisation and the employer accountable for taking action to stop sexual harassment situations at work. The Act also specifies a number of requirements for entities to comply with the Act. One of them is educating every employee in the company about their POSH obligations through training programmes and other activities. Conducting such trainings at least twice a year is advised.
First, POSH training must be done in accordance with regulatory requirements. If the law is not obeyed, the organization could face severe penalties, including a fine of INR 50,000 for a first offence and the cancellation of its business license for subsequent offences. Furthermore, simply having a legislation does not assist. Many times, even after feeling uncomfortable or violated, women wonder whether a particular action qualifies as sexual harassment. Therefore, it's crucial for employees to understand what constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace and what doesn't.
A certain group of workers is responsible for leading a team and guaranteeing the safety of its members. They could be leaders in diversity and inclusion (D&I), reporting managers, business heads, human resources (learning and development) specialists, etc. They must be equipped with the necessary POSH training to deal with and manage cases of sexual harassment. Any improper action or carelessness on the part of the people manager will have serious repercussions for the group, the victim, and the organization.
The ideal POSH training for managers would include:
- The principal duties of leaders in the event of a sexual harassment occurrence
- Measures to accurately record the complaint
- Assisting the IC with its probe
- What to do after an inquiry
- Taking proactive measures to prevent Sexual Harassment at workplace
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