Risks of a Subordinate Accepting Her Superior's Offer to Stay in His House as a Tenant? Learning Lessons with PoSH Case-Study No. 04
What are the risks when a subordinate accepts her male superior's offer to stay in his house as a tenant?
Case-in Brief:
Nindro's apprehensions materialized when her HOD gave her a pink slip citing market constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic, informing her that with immediate effect she stood relieved of her duties and her employment. Naturally, Ms. Nindro was in utter shock and speechless.
Ms. Nindro was born and brought up in Singapore and had completed her post-graduate studies there. She secured her dream job by virtue of her merit. After her parents' passing, she found herself alone. The sudden termination of her employment added to her predicament.
Relieved from the workplace immediately, her usual placid nature was no longer evident. She frantically posted her resume with her photo for a job back in her ancestral home in India. A job was offered, and she flew back to join duty in a small town.
Meanwhile, she asked her interviewer, who was to be her HOD and direct superior, to help her finalize suitable rental room accommodation.
Her HOD promptly offered her to temporarily stay in his two-storey house, close to the main road. She accepted his offer after checking on the phone and knowing that his wife lived with him with their six-month-old baby. On arrival, she found him at the small town railway station to receive her and help her with baggage. She was accommodated in a small-sized room with an attached bathroom and a balcony, suitable for the time being until she found alternate accommodation.
Days passed, and her search for a good rental room eluded her. Meanwhile, she joined her new employment. He would ask her to accompany him to house-hunting on his scooter, even during office hours. At home, he would invite her to watch TV with his family, have tea and dinner, while his wife tended to her baby. He tried to be cozy and close to her on different pretexts. His possessive behavior caused her acute anxiety and agony, affecting her workplace conduct, noticed by her women colleagues. His intrusion on her privacy, particularly during late evenings, became a cause for her apprehensions.
Encouraged by her female colleagues, who confided in her about his attempted advances with women other than his wife, Ms. Nindro personally met the MD and narrated her plight.
The MD realized he had not yet constituted an internal committee for his workplace establishment, which employed nearly one hundred employees, predominantly women. In consultation with competent PoSH enablers, he immediately notified the constitution of an internal committee for the workplace.
Points-to-Ponder and Learning Lessons:
1. What action steps should the employer/the MD have taken in this case?
2. Should there be an office order or a service rule that prohibits employees from offering or accepting rental accommodation to/from another employee of the same workplace? Violation of this rule shall be deemed an act of misconduct, leading to disciplinary action, including punishment.
3. Should any female subordinate accept an offer to stay in the same house as her superior, even if it is offered temporarily?
Readers' valuable feedback shall serve as an effective deterrent to such unwelcome occurrences. We, Kritarth Team, are here and ready to help you comply with all provisions of the PoSH Act 2013.
Harsh K Sharan, XLRI Alumnus, Kritarth Consulting Pvt Ltd. Team of special educators conducts mandatory programs for IC members and mandatory employees' sensitization & awareness programs, reportable in ICs annual report for each calendar year. www.kritarth.in Please read Kritarth Blog titled Insight. [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons], [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons], [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]. Bloggers Pages: https://holistichr.blogspot.com....https://holistic-hr.blogspot.com. 19th November 2022.
#allaboutposh #holistichr #PoshChampions #BubleBee #Scarecrow #PoshCaseStudies #PoshinHindi #PoshPartners #PoshForEver
What are the risks when a subordinate accepts her male superior's offer to stay in his house as a tenant?
Case-in Brief:
Nindro's apprehensions materialized when her HOD gave her a pink slip citing market constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic, informing her that with immediate effect she stood relieved of her duties and her employment. Naturally, Ms. Nindro was in utter shock and speechless.
Ms. Nindro was born and brought up in Singapore and had completed her post-graduate studies there. She secured her dream job by virtue of her merit. After her parents' passing, she found herself alone. The sudden termination of her employment added to her predicament.
Relieved from the workplace immediately, her usual placid nature was no longer evident. She frantically posted her resume with her photo for a job back in her ancestral home in India. A job was offered, and she flew back to join duty in a small town.
Meanwhile, she asked her interviewer, who was to be her HOD and direct superior, to help her finalize suitable rental room accommodation.
Her HOD promptly offered her to temporarily stay in his two-storey house, close to the main road. She accepted his offer after checking on the phone and knowing that his wife lived with him with their six-month-old baby. On arrival, she found him at the small town railway station to receive her and help her with baggage. She was accommodated in a small-sized room with an attached bathroom and a balcony, suitable for the time being until she found alternate accommodation.
Days passed, and her search for a good rental room eluded her. Meanwhile, she joined her new employment. He would ask her to accompany him to house-hunting on his scooter, even during office hours. At home, he would invite her to watch TV with his family, have tea and dinner, while his wife tended to her baby. He tried to be cozy and close to her on different pretexts. His possessive behavior caused her acute anxiety and agony, affecting her workplace conduct, noticed by her women colleagues. His intrusion on her privacy, particularly during late evenings, became a cause for her apprehensions.
Encouraged by her female colleagues, who confided in her about his attempted advances with women other than his wife, Ms. Nindro personally met the MD and narrated her plight.
The MD realized he had not yet constituted an internal committee for his workplace establishment, which employed nearly one hundred employees, predominantly women. In consultation with competent PoSH enablers, he immediately notified the constitution of an internal committee for the workplace.
Points-to-Ponder and Learning Lessons:
1. What action steps should the employer/the MD have taken in this case?
2. Should there be an office order or a service rule that prohibits employees from offering or accepting rental accommodation to/from another employee of the same workplace? Violation of this rule shall be deemed an act of misconduct, leading to disciplinary action, including punishment.
3. Should any female subordinate accept an offer to stay in the same house as her superior, even if it is offered temporarily?
Readers' valuable feedback shall serve as an effective deterrent to such unwelcome occurrences. We, Kritarth Team, are here and ready to help you comply with all provisions of the PoSH Act 2013.
Harsh K Sharan, XLRI Alumnus, Kritarth Consulting Pvt Ltd. Team of special educators conducts mandatory programs for IC members and mandatory employees' sensitization & awareness programs, reportable in ICs annual report for each calendar year. www.kritarth.in Please read Kritarth Blog titled Insight. [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons], [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons], [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]. Bloggers Pages: https://holistichr.blogspot.com....https://holistic-hr.blogspot.com. 19th November 2022.
#allaboutposh #holistichr #PoshChampions #BubleBee #Scarecrow #PoshCaseStudies #PoshinHindi #PoshPartners #PoshForEver