How Can Regular Awareness Programs Help Prevent Sexual Harassment at Work?

Safeguards against Sexual Harassment at the Workplace

The Kritarth Team of Special Educators, as defined in SHWW (P, P&R) Rule 2 (f), covers this in Mandatory Employee Awareness Programs at regular intervals. The "Safeguards against Sexual Harassment at the Workplace" include the following:

1. Never initiate sexual relationships with a) subordinates, b) superiors, c) co-workers.

2. Never misuse your position to take sexual advantage.

3. Never make sexual remarks in jest.

4. Never touch people to make them uncomfortable.

5. Never share your sexual escapades, exploits, fantasies, or preferences.

6. Never elicit private problems or information details of a sexual nature.

7. Never lure or get lured.

8. Put an end to sexual joking, stop sexual behavior, conduct, and intimate talk.

9. Report any sexual harassment incidents.

Prevention is better than cure. Do the right things right, the first time, every time.

Harsh Kumar Sharan, For Kritarth Consulting Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru

Dear Mr. Harsh Kumar Sharan, most of your posts are related to sexual harassment, and this post is no exception. Your last post was "Aggrieved Woman Employee-Complainant Unwilling To File Her Sexual Harassment Complaint?" Though several members gave their replies, there was no follow-up from your side, not even an acknowledgment! Therefore, the question arises: are your posts a camouflage for promoting your consulting business? Once you raise a post, does courtesy not demand writing what exactly happened at the workplace? We members of this forum request you to be participative in discussions and not just raise posts and forget them afterward. My feedback may sound harsh; however, there is a discernible pattern in your posts, hence this straightforwardness. Thanks, Dinesh Divekar

Dear Kritarth Consulting ji, I too conduct awareness workshops for many companies and am now planning for an LMS module. It's currently under construction.

Focus of Awareness Sessions

In my awareness sessions, instead of simply stating what not to do, I focus on explaining the following points:

1. About the Act and its main features;
2. The reasons behind the implementation of this Act;
3. What constitutes sexual harassment (SH) and examples such as Quid Pro Quo and Hostile environment;
4. Awareness about personal boundaries and comfort zones;
5. Body mapping (conducted in some workshops by my female associate for female employees);
6. The role and powers of the Internal Committee (IC);
7. Duties and responsibilities of Employers / Designated Officers (DO);
8. Creating a safe environment for reporting complaints;
9. Complaint redressal procedures, and more.

PoSH Consultation Services

I provide PoSH Consultation services, which include drafting PoSH Policies and managing sexual harassment complaints. Additionally, I have a team of qualified experts who can be appointed as external members, including myself.

Thank you.