Harassment against woman in the workplace is the big black cat of the corporate India today. Almost every educated, independent and ambitious working woman today has faced at least one instance of harassment in her office which comes from various factors. This harassment is of different types like emotional, financial, sexual and mental. It creates a severe and long lasting impact on the psychology of women. At one end we encourage women to come out of home and start working and yet at other end we are unable to create a safe environment conducive to their well-being. In recent past, there have been multiple cases where even well-educated and so called liberal men have been accused of harassing their female colleagues. When people like Tarun Tejpal, David Davidar are accused of sexual assault, it is a clear alarm for the society to do something drastic for ensuring the safety and well-being of the fairer sex..
The harassment comes in various forms like making snide comments, hostile humor, sarcastic remarks, etc. There are also examples where deserving female candidates are not promoted because of jealousy. Women are still not paid as much as men in the same positions. And this, is the ultimate reality of today’s corporate India.
How can we stop this harassment at workplace ?
The organizational policies play the most important role in ensuring the safety and emotional stability for women at work. If the organization is serious about ending the harassment against women, it can make sure to have a detailed and strict policy addressing minutest of the aspects. This will create the trust among the women and they can then come forward with their grievances.
Since the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act is passed in 2013, the number of cases of sexual harassment reported have increased significantly. Women are now atleast willing to come out and express their problem. Before that, it was estimated that almost 70% cases of harassment at work place go unreported. Each such reported instance should be solved with utmost importance and speed to further increase women’s confidence and make them seek help.
Attitude of the society also plays a vital role in helping the women. Many a times, women feel that speaking about their experience may create a negative image. Generally it is observed that women are made to feel guilty which makes them keep mum and put up with the abuse. But we as a society should stop these old prejudices against women. Specially, women should encourage other women going through harassment to open up. Senior HR managers within the organization should also implement internal and confidential programs to check if their employees are facing issues.
It is also observed that women also fear that they will lose their job if they complain against the men at a senior position. There are numerous examples where women had to leave their jobs because the one harassing them was influential. The organization’s policies play a vital role here. If the correct policies against harassment are in place which take into consideration all the minute details, women can have their job security and yet fight for their safety.
Lastly, women themselves need to learn to stand for their rights. They should develop a confidence within themselves that they are inferior to no one and they should be ready to face any instance of harassment or abuse with courage and patience. They should keep themselves abreast with the laws which can help them in difficult situations and they should also not hesitate to ask for help in case required.
Only through collective efforts from all the sections of the society, we can ensure that women are not harassed. A happy women can contribute brilliantly to the growth of her organization. It also in turns help in building the nation.
