The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, commonly referred to as the ‘PoSH Act‘ is an Indian law enacted with the objective of making workplaces safer for women by preventing, prohibiting and redressing acts of sexual harassment against them in the workplace.
Why PoSH Training for employees?
It is legally mandatory to conduct PoSH training for employees. The organization shall attract a heavy penalty i.e. a fine of INR 50,000 for first time offence. Business license of the company or organisation shall be revoked for repeated offence.
It helps women employees feel protected in the organization. It creates awareness as to whether a particular behaviour can be counted as sexual harassment or not It helps men understand what is acceptable behaviour in the organization. Certain jokes or compliments given by them to their women colleagues might make their colleagues uncomfortable. So, it is important for employees to know what is acceptable in the workplace, what constitutes to sexual harassment and what does not.
Moreover, the employees should also be aware about what to do if their colleagues are subjected to sexual harassment. An effective PoSH training for employees can address these issues. Organizing PoSH training for employees is a step towards protecting the rights of women employees and ensuring equality at the workplace. Training must be given to all employees regardless of their gender or designation. Every organization should strive to provide an environment which has zero tolerance towards any kind of harassment.
Importance of PoSH Training for employees
If you think the above mentioned are not good enough reasons to organize PoSH training for employees, here is a list of more benefits in conducting PoSH training for the organization :-
- Sexual harassment can hamper productivity of not only the victims, but also other employees. Better the training, lesser the incidents of sexual harassment and higher the productivity.
- When employees are ensured about their safety against any kind of harassment , their engagement improves. Uniformed absenteeism is also reduced.
- PoSH training shows that the organization cares about the employees which can increase job satisfaction and employee morale.
- PoSH training improves employee retention and the quality of workplace culture. In general, the training improves the perception of employees about the organization.
- The reputation and goodwill of an organization is enhanced. Sensitizing the employees through PoSH courses and programs can safeguard the organization’s reputation and ensure customer retention. Any incident of sexual harassment mishandled by the company can damage an organisation’s reputation.
- It is a legal mandate for all organisations to conduct PoSH training for all its employees.
- It improves work culture and enhance collaboration among the employees.
- Conducting regular PoSH training and awareness programs will not only help in avoiding such legal tangles but can also act as a proof in the court that the organization had taken necessary steps for prevention of unfortunate sexual harassment incidents.
Who should be covered in PoSH training for employees?
All employees in the organization – managers, directors, IC members, human resource professionals and employees- must go through the PoSH training for employees. However, a one-size-fits-all training will not help. A common training on the law is important.
In addition to this, there should role-specific training as well
Managers need to be trained how to behave with both genders. They need to be made aware how certain behaviour from their side is part of gender bias and methods to reduce it.
Internal Committee members (IC is the institution that will investigate and redress sexual harassment complaints within the organization) must go through specific training on the investigation procedure and redressal mechanism. They should be aware of how the conciliation and inquiry is conducted in an impartial manner.
Want to conduct PoSH Training for your employees or ICC members?
Shivani Bose is a PoSH certified trainer and has been instrumental in implementing PoSH across industries. She is an external panel member of ICC for various companies. She has conducted several workshops on Gender sensitization and PoSH awareness and had counselled several clients facing mental wellness and gender bias issues.
We provide training related to PoSH for both employees and ICC members. In addition, we also help in empanelment for external panel members. For further details, please get in touch with us at info@proudhr.com
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