The Government of India passed the Sexual Harassment of Women (Prevention, Prohibition and Prevention) Act (POSH) in 2013. The Act places the onus on businesses, organizations, and employers to stop sexual harassment in the workplace. Organizations should regulate this in various ways, including ensuring all employees have a training program that explains their responsibilities and actions to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Employees who attend these workshops learn how to recognize, prevent, and distinguish sexual harassment and unfair harassment in the workplace. In our POSH training for employees, we address topics such as legal requirements, company policies, and ways to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and safety. In order to empower employees and promote a healthy working environment, organizations should conduct these trainings more frequently.

The importance of POSH training:

POSH training is essential to ensure compliance and provide a respectful and professional working environment. Creating a safe and welcoming work environment through sexual harassment recognition and prevention training increases employee productivity and well-being. It also enables people to distinguish between sexual harassment and other types of wrongdoing, reduces the chances of baseless accusations, and improves job satisfaction. Taking an active stance POSH training does protects organisations and employers against legal risks and also promotes professional collaboration and goodwill.

Statistics on POSH training:

In 2023, 400 professionals representing different genders and ages participated in a study titled “Changed awareness of POSH in the workplace” a study by Stratefix Consulting and National Human Resource Development (NHRD) collaborated found that only 8% of the respondents knew about the POSH program before 2021. Despite the recognition by many organizations of the importance of POSH training, the methodology and effectiveness of it exhibit considerable variability. While some organisations conduct training on a regular basis, others may not have adequate policies, causing it reduced employee awareness and safety.

Surveys for 2018 and 2020 revealed a shocking number of women being sexually harassed in the workplace and according to a 2018 Martha Farrell Foundation study, 80% of Indian women reported encountering it problems in the workplace. Professional women surveyed in 2020 reported a similar proportion of workplace sexual harassment. Given the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace in India, immediate action is needed to confront and stop these misconducts. A comprehensive approach to this problem is needed as it affects not only the individual but also the performance and culture of the organization. These studies made it clear how important proactive measures are to keeping workplaces safe and courteous. Organizations seek to reduce workplace harassment and discrimination by establishing effective reporting systems, support systems, and continuing education programs.

Court decisions regarding Posh Training:

Recent case studies and court decisions highlight the difficulty organizations have under the POSH Act and implementing it to promote a respectful workplace culture. The Supreme Court in implementing the Act brought to the fore several deficiencies, such as inadequate internal committees and low level of professional understanding. This highlights the importance of immediate steps to ensure compliance and prevent sexual harassment. The Apex Court found a high level of ignorance among professionals. These results highlight the importance of appropriate training to empower staff and improve compliance. Recent court decisions such as Aureliano Fernandes v. State of Goa states that to protect the dignity of women in the workplace there is a need for strict compliance with the Act and concerted measures to address problems effectively.

In our years of working in this area, we have seen many companies incorporate POSH training into their organizational culture with incredible success.

Types of training for employees:

POSH sessions, workshops and seminars: These events encourage discussion and active networking among employees and provide learning opportunities through hands-on experience and team-building exercises.

Online POSH training modules: POSH eLearning modules provide staff with the flexibility and scalability to access learning materials at their own pace and speed. We at POSHequili have different modules and eLearning services on our website.

Role and simulation exercises: We do this exercise by simulating a real workplace environment, a role-playing exercise to create a safe and regulated environment for employees to practice reacting to sexual harassment and discrimination.

Compliance and Legal Training Resources: This module aims to familiarize employees and IC members with relevant laws, policies and corporate guidelines that distinguish between discrimination and sexual harassment.

Method of POSH training:

Personal Training Program: Our traditional personal training program promotes a sense of community and shared responsibility by allowing participants to interact directly with each other.

Webinars and Virtual Training Platforms: In today’s increasingly digital workplace, our virtual training platforms and webinars offer practical alternatives for distance learning.

Mobile Applications for Learning on the Go: We provide employees with access to training materials on the go; mobile applications make it easy to reinforce knowledge and skills from any location at any time.

Personal Training Portals and Learning Management Systems: We also support tools that allow companies to customize POSH training materials to meet their own needs and interests.

Our POSH training services will facilitate the organisation with:

Legislation and compliance requirement: An understanding of legal provisions relating to sexual harassment and discrimination is essential to ensure compliance and mitigate legal risks.

Understanding discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace: Employees who complete POSH training are better able to identify many forms of harassment and discrimination, including subtle or overt behaviour.

Creating a culture of respect and inclusion: An important part of POSH training that emphasizes the benefits of professionalism, dignity and mutual respect in the workplace is to foster a culture of respect and inclusion.

Reporting and handling incidents of misconduct: The management will receive training on how to support victims and participate in investigations. In addition to this, the employees will learn how to report misconduct in a timely manner and maintain confidentiality.

Healthy practices incorporated in our POSH training:

Employee involvement and buy-in: At every stage we see employees’ input to help increase support for the POSH training program and curate the sessions to address the unique challenges of the industry they are working at.

Continuous evaluation and feedback processes: We encourage organisation to establish tools that will help measure the success of our training programs and make necessary improvements.

Integrating organizational values ​​and goals: Our POSH training is enhanced and implemented within the larger business culture as we very consciously align it with organizational values ​​and goals.

Inclusive and accessible training programs: Our  POSH training is inclusive and accessible to all employees, taking into consideration every account factors such as language barriers, cultural sensitivities, and accommodations it will provide for people with disabilities.

Technologies & Strategies that we have incorporated in our  Posh Training:

Use of advanced technology for personalized learning experiences: Thanks to advances in technology, we are now tailoring POSH training to each employee’s specific learning preferences, job responsibilities, and learning styles.

Integrating mediation strategies into educational materials: We acknowledge the connections between people working together and need for speedy dispute resolution, keeping that in mind we have adopted strategies that will help accelerate the conciliation process.

Hybrid and remote work model on POSH training: To accommodate the growing potential of virtual business processes, our delivery and content of POSH training have also change with the transition to remote and hybrid working model.

The role of managers and leaders in sustaining a POSH training program: The sustainability of a POSH training project over time requires effective leadership and management support, our management training therefore encourages organizational commitment work to provide and maintain a safe and inclusive work environment.

Conclusion:

In addition to compliance, POSH training is essential to prevent workplace harassment and discrimination and to promote an inclusive and respectful culture.

Organizations should prioritize POSH training programs as part of their commitment to safe, courteous, and compliant workplaces. Organizations can use the contact form to reach out to our POSH consultant for further advice and assistance in implementing the POSH training program.

Enhancing company culture and employee well-being through effective POSH training can lead to higher productivity, happier employees, and overall greater business growth. As advocates for mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, we urge employers to consider the wider benefits of POSH training beyond just compliance.

-By Adv. Deeksha Rai (Legal Associate – Equilibrio Advisory LLP)