Vastly spread hallways behind the glass shields are the new age battlegrounds serving the economies. The ‘entrepreneurs’ of today are the torchbearers of the millennia. And are the thought leaders of tomorrow, driving the change in society, one norm at a time. 

With a change in society, modern workspaces are also changing rapidly. Today diverse groups, small teams & startups work together in a shared, communal setting.

These startups have no official sexual harassment policy, nor do they have anything resembling an HR department for that matter. Co-working spaces claim to be at the forefront of the modern workplace & many companies are utilizing them. This offers greater flexibility and opportunities to collaborate, but they add to the vulnerability.

The Culture at Modern Workspaces

An environment that is structured with creative ways of problem-solving & open communication defines a startup setting. The new age startup ecosystem compliments diversity in terms of thought and mutual growth across gender, caste, religion, and learning. They try to boost the ideas of gender equality and equal opportunity much seamlessly than previous organizations. But does it accomplish the idea of providing a safe and inclusive environment for the employees?

Let’s find out:

[Problems] Holes in the Safety Net

Startups rely on the core values of solving and finding innovative ways to simplify the world around us. They act as contributors to society, helping to resolve complex issues. But according to a report published by inc.com, more than 78 percent of female employees and founders of startups have personally faced or know someone who has faced sexual harassment at the workplace. Does this ring a bell?

Reports like this show, that the deep-rooted problem of gender inequality and sexual abuse are still a dark reality of the workplace.

The new age workspaces rely on interaction within the team on a much more intimate scale. This makes women vulnerable to harassment during events such as team outings, client interactions and odd work hours. With multiple teams and groups sharing the space, it’s even more difficult for the startup founders to keep a tab on harassment cases.

Mandates such as implementing the PoSH law is a step towards building harassment-free workspaces.

Mandates required for a Startup under the PoSH Law

“The PoSH Law– A Law for the prevention, prohibition, and redressal of sexual harassment against women at work.”

• Form an anti-sexual harassment policy at your organization

The first mandate prescribed by the PoSH Law is to formulate an anti-sexual harassment policy in your organization. The policy should clearly define what could be considered as sexual harassment at your workplace. Also, make sure to put awareness posters depicting the consequences of harassment at your workplace.

• Conduct training sessions for your team

The PoSH Law mandates organization of anti-sexual harassment training at the workplace. This is a precautionary measure prescribed by the law. The aim is to train the members on what could be considered as harassment at work and what are its punishment and consequences.

• Constitution of an internal committee (IC)

The PoSH law mandates every organization with more than 10 employees to form an internal committee. The IC is tasked with the responsibility of addressing complaints of harassment at the workplace.

• Preparation of an annual report

Submission of an annual report clearly depicting the number of sexual harassment cases notified and resolved in a year by the IC.

• It is also required to include a statement in the report if they have organized an anti-harassment training for the employees or not.

Importance of Anti-sexual Harassment Policies in a Startup

The new age workspaces today support collaboration among employees on a much wider scale. This interaction makes women team members vulnerable. And makes it necessary to form direct and confidential contact with the authorities in case of any incident.

Anti-sexual harassment policies allow employees to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate workplace behavior. Such policies also predefine and prepare the company to react in the best way possible if any such case of sexual harassment is reported.

The purpose of IC in a startup is to act as a single point of contact to address any complaints raised pertaining to harassment. Confidentiality is generally a major concern for an employee in such scenarios and the predefined complaint’s process allows to overcome this.

Responsibilities of a Founder

The responsibilities of a startup founder to prevent any case of sexual harassment includes:

• Make sure you formulate an anti-sexual harassment policy within the organization
• If your organization has more than 10 employees on the payroll, forming an IC is mandatory.
• Make sure to organize periodic training and gender sensitization workshops for all.
• Make sure to introduce everyone to the consequences and penalties of sexual harassment at the workplace.

Forming a safe environment in the workplace is important for attracting and retaining new talent in your team. As a founder, you should work towards preventing and addressing sexual harassment. Also, punish the employee who is on the wrong side of the law. A swift and well-studied action against any form of harassment and discrimination helps build trust between the employer and the employee. It is very important for the founders to hit the right note with positive messaging. Everybody should handle issues such as sexual harassment sensitively.

Prevention of Sexual Harassment in your Organization

Correct implementation of the PoSH law proves to be the most effective measure to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace. As stated above, the law made it compulsory for any organization with 10 or more employees to constitute an IC.

Help your team learn what PoSH law says about sexual harassment at the workplace through training. Awareness programs are now a necessity for every organization.

We, at Rainmaker, are poised to help build safer workplaces through our training modules. Our training modules are designed for employees, managers & IC members.

If your organization is not PoSH compliant, you can request a training program. Make a better workplace that is free from sexual harassment.

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