Post-Holi Celebration Dilemma: How Should HR Address Unwanted Dancing Attempts?

After the Holi celebration, employees left for home. When they were going home, male employees tried to dance with the female employees of our company outside the office. What should I do as an HR in this case?

Dear member,

The festival of Holi is celebrated differently in various places in India. Apart from playing with colors, people also let their hair down, shedding the strictness of office life. The mask of innocence may slip for some, startling others with jokes full of double entendre.

However, sometimes people take advantage of the relaxed atmosphere and develop undue closeness with members of the opposite sex. Some may even engage in inappropriate activities.

Handling Dance Proposals During Celebrations

In your company's case, male employees attempted to dance with female colleagues. Was it just a dance or something more? A female employee could have declined the dance proposal, and that should have been the end of it. Merely proposing a dance to a colleague does not violate a woman's modesty. It is 2024, and applying outdated rules is misplaced.

Addressing Complaints and Conducting Inquiries

If there have been complaints from female employees, investigate their seriousness. For general complaints, bring both parties together to resolve differences. Look into whether there was pressure on female employees to dance and if there was a change in attitude post-dance due to guilt or other reasons.

If parties remain adamant and reconciliation seems unlikely, conduct a formal inquiry. If a female employee wishes to withdraw a complaint, it should be unconditional.

General Comments on Festival Celebrations

Festival celebrations fall under employee engagement activities, aiming to foster social connections. HR should provide guidelines to ensure such activities maintain a positive spirit without causing discord.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

If it is outside the office, why should HR be concerned about it?

Dear Mr. Vargesemathew, I would like to disagree with your viewpoint. As an HR professional, I believe this matter should be addressed promptly. If HR does not intervene and address the issue, employee morale will suffer, and work culture will be affected. Company policy is explicit about protecting the company image, which applies to its employees even when they are outside the office. Employees are representatives of the company, and in terms of respect for their female colleagues, they should definitely treat them with respect. However, we need to analyze the situation mentioned by Mr. Dinesh in the above response and also consider the outlined company policies, values, and ethics.

We need to understand that the individuals involved are employees of the company. HR needs to play a pivotal role in resolving this issue so that the female staff can engage more and promote a positive work culture. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

If the female employees had given HR a complaint, certainly, you should take action against those who misbehaved. However, without any complaint, you should not interpret it in the wrong sense. After all, dancing by both males and females together is not that serious nowadays.

Dinesh sir has explained it very well. The most important thing is, did the girl make any complaint to HR? Did she discuss it with them? Also, there must be some defined norms before HR arranges any celebrations.

As per the contents of the post and without a formal complaint from the female employee, it doesn't warrant any action by the management.

Furthermore, the reported incident happened outside the office. Why should HR bother about it? Moreover, in such an event, the victims should lodge an FIR.

Dear members,

While replying to the post, a few members have mentioned that since the dance or the demand for it occurred outside the company premises, the matter is beyond the scope of the company's rules and regulations.

Yes, theoretically speaking, they are correct. I do not know the provisions of the POSH and whether these apply in the given situation. However, I would like to view the incident under the tenets of HR Management.

If an employee commits a misdemeanor and the victim is another employee, then the company's administration must step in. We do not know the facts of the case, but it must be borne in mind that all women employees should feel safe while working in the company. The responsibility for their security should not be limited to the compound of the company's building. The company administration cannot wash its hands of incidents that happen outside the company. The male employee must be called and given subtle hints of what can happen if the misdemeanors continue. While HR professionals may provide feedback or even a stern warning, higher officials may monitor the situation without coming to the fore. In such situations, some amount of deterrence is necessary.

HR professionals often talk about employee engagement. Will any woman employee remain engaged if she is harassed by a male employee? What about other women? What value will they have regarding the company's administration?

For the Originator of the Post: 4-5 days have passed since you raised the post, and the learned members have given varied replies. Courtesy demands acknowledgment of the replies. Sorry to note that graciousness has not dawned on you yet. Your silence speaks volumes!

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

There is a classical saying on the occasion of Holi, "Burra Na Mano, Holi Hai." Holi is the occasion for light-hearted banter and some practical jokes. In our office, they used to give titles to all employees; some of them were a little offensive to the sensibilities, yet all of us used to enjoy the fun and leave it aside thereafter.

Employer's Role and Jurisdiction

The employer is not the moral code guardian and has no extra jurisdiction outside the office limits and cannot take action for anything done not listed as misconduct. From the limited facts, this appears to be not a case attracting POSH provisions.