Hi Uma, thanks for starting a very relevant forum topic. I would like to cover what an organization should do to curb it at the work place. I am sure others would cover the legal aspects of dealing with it.

Sexual harassment at work is a major problem women face at work at all levels, in all industries. The root cause of the problem lies in the mindset of the populace about women in general, not as equal to men, but as commodities. It stems from the rigid upbringing we have imbibed in our culture, which is a double edged sword. On one hand, it leads to the values that we stand for and cherish so very much, and on the other, it also gives rise to perverts who fail to recognize boundaries even at work. I guess at the end of the day, behavior is a personal choice and no amount of moral policing and sermonizing would curb it totally. However, at the work place, there are certain things that can be done to instill a fear of the consequences of such kind of a conduct against women. It is part of a bigger term called Women’s Liberation, which has been discussed at length in many forums, not essentially in hrlink.

I feel the best deterrent to this kind of a behavior is by taking the following measures :

A. The first problem the employee faces is to share it with someone she trusts. Trust me, employees dread going to the HR with such a problem as they feel that it would get circulated on the floor. Obviously, the role of HR in such cases is very delicate and has to be very very discreet. There has to be a mechanism wherein the employee can dial in a number and share the problem she faces. It has to be a known number which is known to every employee, not just women. It can even be an anonymous call, as in, she may or may not decide to let her identity be known. I am sure if such a mechanism is in place, it would encourage women to pro-actively pursue and report such cases. I do understand that there may be a mis-conception among my male friends reading this that such a mechanism can easily be mis-used. Let me assure you, such a mechanism did exist in one of my previous companies and I have seen only genuine cases being reported. Not a single false complaint was recorded during my tenure of 3 years at least. I guess, keeping this in mind, I can safely say it’s a mechanism which works.

B. A well defined response mechanism (process) to be followed in case a lady employee feels she has been victimized. By process, I mean there has to be a forum which would consist of multiple people from different backgrounds, namely from HR, Operations, Senior Management, nominated dynamic lady employees from the business side, etc. More the number of women in the forum, the better it is. It would eliminate male-bias. It can be a combination of some of the above and/or all of the above. When an instance is notified, the forum should be able to discuss it in the presence/absence of the lady employee and corrective measures can be taken. I feel the punishment in such instances is termination in most companies and I second it thoroughly.

C. It is the responsibility of HR/Management in such cases to ensure that the lady employee receives counseling as such instances can leave a deep scar which would affect her personality for years unless corrective measures are taken.

D. Care should be taken at all levels to ensure that it does not become public knowledge and serves as fodder for cafeteria gossip otherwise there is every chance that you lose your valuable woman employee too, which is not a good indicator of the organization culture.

E. Whatever Sexual harassment policy each organization has, HR should ensure that it keeps communicating this to all the employees on an on-going basis. I would say a frequency of once-a-month is a good thing to follow.

Unless women feel secure and safe at work, they would not be able to delve into their natural talent and contribute meaningfully to the growth of the organization. Every organization should do all it can to ensure that they are secure. Be it ensuring their security during the transit to and from work, or at the work place itself, it is a very vital part of the organization’s outlook to the immense potential that women bring to the organization.

Of course she can and she should.

Hi Harish,

That was very valuable suggestion given. In certain organizations HR men do participate in harassing women at work; it becomes difficult for the lady to decide how to raise it or whom to complain to.

I suggest that the woman herself be strong to face and give it back instantly. At the same time, she should be very careful of her position from the next moment. Sometimes, boss may ill-treat or abuse his lady subordinate. Do not hesitate to give it back immediately.

Remember one thing: Respond to the situation immediately. Make sure that you mention about the presence of other people if any at that situation when you lodge a official complaint. Never delay in complaining on such issues.

Regards,
Sreedevi

Thanks sree devi

Thanks Dian.

I agree with you.

Most of the time ladies provoke such incidents unknowingly. They have to be very much careful. Men = Women. But in few cases they are not.