Seeking Non-Termination Solutions for Handling Sexual Harassment Accusations in the Workplace

Dear All,

Can anybody tell me if management doesn't want to terminate the person accused of sexual harassment but at the same time wants to teach him a lesson and permanently get rid of this situation to give justice to the victim, then what things can be done?

For example, if somebody steals wood in a brick factory, the solution could be to unload the next lorry of wood at the robber's place. This action would make him ashamed of his act and would likely deter him from stealing from the factory again.

I am seeking a Gandhigiri-type solution. I want a solution that will not only prevent this behavior within the organization but also discourage it elsewhere. I hope to find a solution that will ensure he does not repeat this act and serves as a warning to other employees against such deeds.

Please reply as soon as possible.

Hi,

I don't think marriage and saying sorry will be a good idea. As per the change of his role or demotion, it will be the best way to teach him a lesson. That sort of behavior should be treated in a very serious and precise way.

My suggestion is to send an email to all the employees who have ever worked in your organization regarding this issue. This way, every employee will know the real character of the individual in question. Consequently, from the next day onwards, every employee will treat him differently compared to regular days. This may lead him to feel guilty and motivate him to resign voluntarily. As a result, even if he joins another organization, he will think twice before engaging in such harassment.

Hi,

Revealing the issue in front of everyone will just take all the motivation to work in the organization away from him. He would not learn anything with that kind of punishment but will become more aggressive. The best way is to make him feel ashamed. Ask that girl to go and tell him that she forgave him in front of the management and request him not to do it ever again to any girl, describing the trauma a person feels. Tell him he might have a daughter in the future; then, he would have to go through the same trauma every time she is harassed.

With Regards,
Poonam

I would suggest putting his shameful act along with his photograph and identity on a notice board in every corner of the company, whether it's the gym, pantry, meeting room, clock room, etc., but without disclosing the name or identity of the girl. It should be kept confidential. Additionally, send a hard copy of this to his parents and relatives.

Thank you,
Sunita

Dear,

You are required to mention the case exactly as mentioned in your subject line. Only then can a reply be provided.

Dear All,

I agree with Poonam. This is the best way to solve these types of problems.

Regards,

HS Deshwal

Dear Friend,

Whatever you do, think about that lady and your organization's rules and policies. My suggestion is to ask that lady if she wants to marry that person, make that decision, and demote him as her assistant. Whatever actions you take, do them in front of all employees so that it can serve as a lesson for anyone who behaves in a similar manner.

I believe that woman power is often misused in most cases. However, you have not clarified whether it's a male employee or a female employee who has been harassed. In the case of a female employee who has lodged a complaint, I would suggest that you investigate the matter first and then take disciplinary action.

Though sexual harassment is a shameful incident, I agree with Jigshaw and can only add that females should wear decent dress in offices; otherwise, guys will always stare at the lady. Also, make a rule that no one should wear overly Western clothes.

Investigate the matter first. Remember, whatever a woman tells against a guy, our Indian law first puts him behind bars, then looks into the matter to determine if he is innocent or not.

Just draft a simple email and mention the entire incident. Do not mention the names; use terms like a male employee of our company. There would definitely be talks, and the incident will be in the limelight. However, since you don't mention the name, you don't need to answer to anyone. Besides, this will be a lesson for all the employees.

Thanks,
Sumeet

Management should collect the addresses of their relatives and well-known individuals and send a letter at their expense to all of them to make them aware of the individual's reprehensible act. This letter should be signed by the culprit. There is no need to forgive the individual (as per Ms. Poonam Mehra) or address them as "bhaiya"; instead, their working hours in the office should be extended with a demotion. Nowadays, not many people adhere to Gandhigiri, so strict punishment in line with the aforementioned views would serve as a good lesson for the individual. Alternatively, it may be better to gather the culprit's friends and relatives at a party to disclose the misdeed. Such stringent actions will serve as a lesson for others as well, and India can return to its original values of the past.

The organization should initiate disciplinary action against him if it is found that he is guilty. He may be given punishment such as withholding of increment with cumulative effect so that he may not repeat such an instance in the future.

Investigate the case properly first. If he is found guilty, then direct termination. When he knew the company policy on sexual harassment, how could he even dare? I think he is confident enough that nothing would happen to him in this company. My suggestion would be termination is the best way to teach a lesson.

Regards,
Pankaj

Hi,

In my view, this is very rubbish activity because no one has the right to commit sexual harassment. I strongly believe that the person must receive strict punishment and a warning because such behavior is not acceptable. I know of one organization where a lady complained to a women's organization about such harassment. Consequently, a government officer visited the company to conduct an inspection. Furthermore, all the ladies were called to the government office for an inquiry about how they were being treated in the organization. Such incidents can have a very negative impact on the organization as it can affect its market reputation. Therefore, if an organization aims to maintain a good market reputation, it should be vigilant about such inappropriate behaviors from managers or executives. Just because girls work under them does not mean they are their properties. I stand by what I say. A job is purely a professional matter, and girls should also be treated professionally.

Regards,
Rashmi

• Since no details of case are disclosed, it is not possible to know the nature, degree and frequency of sexual harassment in this case to suggest right course of action and punishment.

• Posted query gives a impression that, it is a fit case to terminate the employee but for some strange and undisclosed reasons management does not want to terminate accused and instead wants to let him off lightly by giving ‘gandhigiri punishment'. This appears to be a sort of Window-dressing and attempt to conclude serious matter in a hush-hush manner.

• Such incidence demands proper and fair investigation and accused needs to be punished accordingly. Gandhigiri types of punishments are okay in cases of less serious nature. Gandhigiri is more aimed at public humiliation, embracement and publicity, but has no place in legal system.

• A serious matter needs to be dealt seriously and accused need not be let off lightly under the guise of Gandhigiri.

• It is important to protect victim and her rights. Gandhigiri types of punishments suggested by members are going to give unnecessary publicity to victim and whole incident which she must be struggling to come out of. Instead of giving any sort of relief to victim gandhigiri may cause public humiliation and trauma to her.

Thanks & Regards

Hi all,

"Gandhigiri" is to terminate him; this is serious misconduct (of course, if it is proven). "Gandhigiri" is to obey the laws of the country and to seek justice through the system. From your question, it is clear that the person in question holds a higher position. Fighting against him and accusing management of being a thief and engaging in sexual harassment cannot be compared at all.

Imagine if this were to happen to you, your relatives, or the management and their female family members. What would they do? I believe they would take severe action against the individual. Let's try to understand and use empathy.

Manish Gupta

Thanks for everybody's review and ideas. I never thought of such support and overwhelming response from everybody. Thanks a lot.

As of now, management is drafting a policy to avoid such types of situations in the future. Another thing is, I feel that management is biased because the victim is a trainee and the accused is the sales head of one sector. He brings money for the company, an experienced person. Management doesn't want him to go or get demotivated because it would have a direct impact on the company's sales.

They are trying to rectify the small, innocent mistakes the girl has made. They may accuse her of luring and attracting the accused towards herself, whereas I know that she is totally new to this corporate world, and everything she has done was on humanitarian grounds. As soon as she understood his intentions, she stopped talking to him.

I hope management makes a wise decision.

Anyways, guys, I will keep you updated with their decisions. Right now, they are investigating the matter.

If the organization doesn't want to terminate him, just ask that son of a ________ to clean the office toilet by hand in front of the victim. That is the best punishment for him.

Dear Shytal,

My statement would also be in favor of Mr. Anwar, as these kinds of issues should not be taken lightly. Rather, stern action is required against him, which will set an example for others as well in the future.

Shytal, please don't let this case be dismissed; otherwise, you will continue to feel suffocated by being dominated in the name of Senior Authority.

Regards,
Rachna

Hi,

My idea is that the ladies who are working in close contact with him can be moved to work with someone else. Let no ladies in the office see/talk/report to him.

Dear all,

I strongly agree with what Poonam has put forward. If we attempt to expose him within the office, we will just go in circles, potentially leading to the development of aggressive behavior. This may cause the girl to end up in more trouble. The only viable solution to deal with this dilemma is to make him feel embarrassed by illustrating a similar situation to him, using an example involving his immediate family member.

Hope this helps.

Mohit Sharma

Well, Rajendra,

Thank you for all your fantastic ideas. But receiving Rakhi from all ladies on the staff won't work out for him as he is Muslim. By God's grace, the matter is not very serious, but it could be serious; who knows. Precaution is better than cure. Also, if management wants to go by Gandhigiri, then?

I'll keep you updated with what had happened to him. Thank you once again.

Thanks, Pankaj. I feel you are in my company. You are right. The position is the same as you said, "he is confident enough that nothing would happen to him in this company." And yes, the investigation is ongoing. Let's see what happens.

Good one, thank you Sunita. However, I feel that this approach may demotivate him, which management does not want. As I mentioned, management aims to make a decision that does not demotivate him but ensures he is properly punished for this heinous act.

Hi,

Firstly, accept my apology as I am not an HR professional, but still a frequent viewer of this website. I am a hardcore operations guy. This topic has grabbed my attention, and trust me, I have gone through all the replies posted by other members of this forum. The only answer that I liked was by Alwar. I encountered a similar scenario some time ago in my previous organization. The actions I took were:

1. Call the culprit and victim to my cabin.
2. Listen to both sides.
3. Maintain privacy as the issue was sensitive and related to someone's life and image.
4. The moment I confirmed the incident as true and not an allegation, I called the cops to my office premises.
5. Called female police officers and then went to the police station in person.
6. Involved management and our organization's lawyer fought the case for the female employee at our cost.
7. The culprit is still behind bars, and the case is ongoing.
8. The girl received justice, and no one came to know about this incident.

What I want to convey is that such individuals are not human beings; they are like animals and should either be imprisoned or shot. No Gandhigiri for them; they will never understand your message.

Dear Priya,

Please roll out a campaign to review the Sexual Harassment policy at the office. Select a few names, including this employee, as the reviewers. Let the information flow out on a public platform. Ensure a close-ended date for the review report to be submitted. Supply a copy of the Official Policy and a copy of the Supreme Court's order regarding the issue. You may also add an activity to collect some views on the same or a survey as a part of the report.

I bet this will be within the ambits of your Gandhigiri and, at the same time, will be very effective. The employee will be enlightened with the following:
1. Official views over the issue
2. Law of the Land and legal implications
3. A subtle pointer that he is under the scanner
4. Will have to suggest punitive actions for defaulters (which may be utilized as 'From the Horse's Mouth' in the subsequent counseling).

Regards,
RR

Hi,

GANDHIGIRI DOES NOT MEAN WEAKNESS OR MEEKNESS. I don't know the gravity of the offense, but forget about the Munnabhai Stuff and get into the legal stuff. If someone has committed a fault, they should get punished for it as per the law. The lady should be counseled to maintain her composure and dignity. Please don't compromise on your standards; otherwise, it will set a precedent, and next time this case will be quoted, and people will be let off.

Immediate Action for Sexual Harassment Cases

What else is your company looking for? Just file a FIR with the police station and immediately terminate him from the services. As it's a case of sexual harassment, Gandhigiri should not be done here.

Regards,
Singh S