LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter
Whatsapp
Telegram
Copy link

How should legal and human resources departments respond once a sexual harassment complaint has been raised? Gautam Kagalwala finds out

Some men willingly expose themselves to occupational risks by working in construction, law enforcement or an NGO in a conflict zone. These hazards can come in many shapes and sizes. But for women, there is an additional hazard at the workplace they must always be wary of – men. Experts say derogatory remarks or men seeking sexual favours are more commonplace than outright assault.

With poor awareness of their rights and institutional mechanisms to handle workplace harassment, female employees may directly air their grievances on social media. The result would be scrutiny from the media, in addition to legal risks. So, how should companies handle complaints made public?

When harassment occurs, it is up to the company’s human resources (HR) department and the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to handle the matter tactfully and empathically. The legal department has to carefully monitor and guide the company’s response due to the legal and reputational risks. The ICC is empowered by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH).

You must be a subscribersubscribersubscribersubscriber to read this content, please subscribesubscribesubscribesubscribe today.

For group subscribers, please click here to access.
Interested in group subscription? Please contact us.

你需要登录去解锁本文内容。欢迎注册账号。如果想阅读月刊所有文章,欢迎成为我们的订阅会员成为我们的订阅会员

已有集团订阅,可点击此处继续浏览。
如对集团订阅感兴趣,请联络我们

Read more:

A call to arms – Lawyers and in-house counsel discuss how companies can stamp out sexual harassment and empower victims to come forward and file an official complaint in line with the POSH Act

Weighed down – Looking beyond the law to ensure gender parity, writes Shraddha Mor Agrawal, vice-president and head of legal at Mizuho Bank

LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter
Whatsapp
Telegram
Copy link