Is It Fair to Require Female Employees to Travel by Night Train for Work? Seeking Advice

Dear All,

I have to frame the travel policy (out of the city) for female employees in the education sector. Management has an inclination towards night travel by train so it can be productive. They have agreed to pay for pick-up and drop-off as per actual expenses, but I have one doubt: can we force women employees to book only night trains?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

You can frame a travel policy for female employees in the education sector, considering night travel by train for productivity. However, it's important not to force women employees to book only night trains. Instead, offer night travel as an option and respect their preferences and safety concerns. Providing pick and drop facilities as per actual expenses is a good step to ensure their safety and comfort during travel.

Dear Ms. Heena Bhola,

You have raised the post with the firm premise, or we can call it a "negative bias," that night travel is unsafe for women. A reply by Ms. Sanjana Mohanty lends weight to your bias.

However, things are not that bad. Yes, some anxiety is always there when women travel alone. However, considering that night travel by railway is unsafe shows total disbelief in Indian society. Just because of a handful of amoral elements in society, one cannot be dismissive of the society itself.

Travel is part and parcel of my life for the last 45 years, and I do find women traveling alone. My wife and daughter traveled many times, and the distance was more than 2,000 KM.

I have worked in the hotel industry. Occasionally, we had single women guests. As a matter of precaution, the hotel administration had given instructions to the security department to keep those rooms under physical surveillance.

When women travel alone, they need to be cautious. They need to maintain a low profile and cut short unwanted extraversion. That is sufficient.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar