POSH ENABLING AND TRAINING
POSH ENABLING
POSH training is necessary to foster a respectful and safe working environment for employees. One incident is enough to create a bad reputation for the company and ruin the accused employee’s career. So, it is necessary to make people aware and sensitize about the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behavior at the workplace. It is indeed required for any of the establishment to ensure safe, healthy and happy work environment. In accordance with the law, all organisations need to comply with the PoSH Act precisely. There are numerous aspects to the PoSH Act that need to be followed accurately to become thoroughly compliant.
POSH training for employees help them identify and differentiate between appropriate and in appropriate behavior at the workplace. It also educates participants on the legal aspects under The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act-2013
POSH training gives a clear understanding to employees what kind of behavior falls under sexual harassment.
POSH training helps employees to inculcate safe and positive work environment leading towards achievement of personal and professional goals along with the organizational growth.
As per a 2022 International Labour Organization (ILO) Report
Harassment, Discrimination and Bullying are pervasive issues that affect individuals across the World in various settings be it schools, workplaces, homes, public spaces or online platforms.
23%
one in five people in employment experienced violence and harassment at work
17.9%
employed individuals said they experienced psychological violence and harassment in their working life
8.5%
aced physical violence and harassment, with more men than women experiencing this
Many may not fully understand the different forms of harassment, their impact on individuals, or the long-term consequences. Further, such topics are considered ‘taboo’ topics across several parts of the world making it further difficult to bring such issues to the forefront.
POSH TRAINING
In 2013, Government of India enacted the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, also called as the POSH Act. The Act holds an organization and the employer responsible for taking measures to prevent incidents of sexual harassment at workplace. The Act also lays down several measures for organizations to be compliant to the Act. One of them is spreading POSH awareness to all the employees in the organization about their roles and responsibilities through training program and similar initiatives. It is advisable to conduct such trainings at least twice in a year.
Introduction to sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination that includes gender harassment (verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey hostility to, objectification of, exclusion of, or second-class status about members of one gender), unwanted sexual attention (verbally or physically unwelcome sexual advances, which can include assault), and sexual coercion (when favorable professional or educational treatment is conditioned on sexual activity).
Why is this Training Important
POSH training ensures prevention, prohibition and protection against sexual harassment at the workplace. POSH awareness training can save the company from legal complexities. A case against sexual harassment at the workplace can also damage the company’s image among its existing and prospective customers.
- Be able to define sexual harassment
- Employee productivity increases
- Legal mandate
- Employees are protected
- Have a posh policy in place
- It boosts morale of staff
- Recognising the workplace culture
- The desired behaviour is demonstrated
- Training improves morale
What is considered as sexual harassment at the work place?
Sexual harassment is an unwelcome sexual advance, unwelcome request for sexual favours or other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature which makes a person feel offended, humiliated and/or intimidated, where a reasonable person would anticipate that reaction in the circumstances.
A working environment or workplace culture that is sexually permeated or hostile will also amount to unlawful sexual harassment. Some of the factors emerging from the case law which may indicate a potentially hostile environment include the display of obscene or pornographic materials, general sexual banter, crude conversation or innuendo and offensive jokes.
A working environment or workplace culture that is sexually permeated or hostile will also amount to unlawful sexual harassment. Some of the factors emerging from the case law which may indicate a potentially hostile environment include the display of obscene or pornographic materials, general sexual banter, crude conversation or innuendo and offensive jokes.
What is the act and how it came into existence?
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. Long Title: An Act to provide protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill, 2012 was passed by the Rajya Sabha on February 26, 2013. On April 23, 2013, President gave assent on the POSH Act and the same was published in the Gazette of India as Act no. 14 of 2013. The Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development notified December 09, 2013 as the effective date of the POSH Act and the POSH Rules.
