How Should Women Handle Verbal Insults from Male Colleagues at Work?

Addressing Oral Misbehavior in the Workplace

What should a female employee do when a male boss or employee insults her verbally on office premises? The Women's Grievance Cell (WGC) typically addresses physical harassment only. Should there be a committee specifically dedicated to addressing verbal misbehavior and false allegations against female employees in the workplace?

Dear Suhas,

Types of harassment

There are two types of harassment: sexual and non-sexual. While the former is generally restricted to women employees, the latter can apply to both men and women. If an employee experiences harassment at the hands of seniors, the aggrieved employee may submit an application for grievance redressal. In the application, he/she should detail what happened, where it occurred, the type of abusive or insulting language used, when it was used, and who the witnesses were.

The application should be addressed directly to the MD of the company, but the hard copy should be handed over to the HR Department. Ensure that the HR representative acknowledges receipt on the second copy of the application. If HR personnel refuse to accept the application, it may be sent by Speed Post with acknowledgment due. Please refrain from sending the application via email; all communication must be in hard copy format only.

Upon receiving the application, management is expected to initiate an inquiry. If no inquiry is conducted or no action is taken, the aggrieved employee may send a reminder after 8-10 days. If no action is taken even after the reminder, the employee is free to approach the labor office in their city. In cases of severe verbal abuse, a female employee may file a complaint with the National Commission for Women (NCW). However, the NCW may prioritize crimes against women facing physical or sexual abuse, so the woman employee may need to actively pursue her case with the NCW.

Gathering evidence

Although I have outlined the general procedure, it is crucial to gather irrefutable evidence in the form of audio or video recordings. Witnesses may become uncooperative, potentially weakening the case. The aggrieved employee does not need to submit evidence with the application but can state that evidence will be provided during the inquiry.

Despite the above information, it is essential for the female employee to gather the courage to follow through with the steps outlined. Initial determination may diminish over time, and the process may affect the employee's peace of mind. It is important for the woman employee to remember that this will test her perseverance, and she should not succumb to pressure. Giving up midway may embolden the management further.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

I agree with Mr. Dinesh Divekar. Whatever he has said is insightful. I suggest that any female employee who faces such behavior must be supported by management throughout the whole process so that she feels strong morally and can fight for her rights. It is very difficult emotionally for anyone to resist negativity in such situations.

Options for Addressing Workplace Misbehavior

To deal with this situation, you have the following options:

* Ignore the person and maintain your cool if it is the first time.
* Tell the person politely and firmly to conduct themselves in a decent manner at the workplace. Any repetition will be reported to higher authorities.
* Use the grievance redressal procedure if the matter is considered serious.
* If the behavior is repeated and the harassment is unprovoked, go on record and bring it to the notice of the highest authority.

Unless the person is paranoid, the above approach might check their behavior.

Regards, Vinayak Nagarkar HR and Employee Relations Consultant

Immediately, she should approach the WGC (Women Grievance Cell) at the workplace or the committee for Sexual Harassment Prevention Grievance & Redressal with a written complaint.

Please note the corrected version of the text above with the spelling errors fixed and proper paragraph formatting applied.

Is WGC (Women Grievance Cell) a statutory requirement?

Is the Women Grievance Cell (WGC) a statutory requirement, or is it a voluntary mechanism started by a particular company?

The Company, as part of its equal employment opportunity policy, is committed to providing its employees with a working environment free of unlawful discrimination. Because sexual harassment and intimidation constitute unlawful discrimination, actions or words which sexually harass or intimidate fellow employees are expressly forbidden and will not be tolerated by the Company.

Unwelcome sexual advances

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when:

• Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment.

• Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting that individual.

• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

Reporting incidents

The employee should report immediately any incident believed to constitute sexual harassment to her immediate Supervisor. Alternatively, if the employee would find it difficult to discuss such a matter with her Supervisor, or if the incident involves her Supervisor, report the incident to the next higher level of management, to the HR Manager or Departmental HR Representative, or to Employee Advisory Services in the HR Department.

All complaints will be treated in the strictest confidence. Incidents will be investigated promptly and documented if possible. If the complaint is determined to be justified, disciplinary action will be taken against the employee whose conduct is considered sexually harassing or intimidating. Disciplinary action will be in accordance with Company policy and may include termination of employment.

Management responsibility

Management will be responsible for the implementation of this policy, for ensuring that all employees are aware of and adhere to the Company's policy, and for prompt and confidential processing of any incident reported hereunder.

Best regards to CiteHR Team Members,
John Chiang

Statutory Requirement for Addressing Grievances

WGC (Women's Grievance Cell) is a voluntary mechanism; the statutory requirement is the Sexual Harassment Prevention-Grievances-Redressal Committee.

Thanks & Regards,

From,
Sumit Kumar Saxena

Understanding Harassment at the Workplace

There is no scheduled Part A and Part B of harassment on women. Part A for physical harassment and Part B for oral harassment. Both oral abuse and physical unnecessary touching are equally punishable under the Women Sexual Harassment Act at the workplace. Either oral insults to working women are equally covered by IPC for removals, suspensions, and arrests of such seniors.