We, at Safe Spaces Inc, are not so sure! Zero POSH complaints could mean one of many things:
1. Absolutely Safe Work Environment:
There truly are no POSH cases, indicating a safe haven for women.
2. Lack of POSH Awareness:
Employees might not know what constitutes Sexual Harassment at Workplace and thus, do not report instances. This could stem from
- lack of communication on the POSH policy
- or absence of the POSH Awareness training leading to a lack of clarity on what really counts as sexual harassment and qualifies for a POSH Complaint.
3. Lack of Infrastructure for POSH Complaints:
- The organization might lack a formal mechanism for employees to make a POSH complaint.
- Not choosing the right Internal Committee or properly training them can cause employees to lose trust due to inaction or wrong actions on their complaints.
4. Fear of Repercussions:
Employees may fear the consequences of making a complaint, such as:
- Impact on their career/appraisal.
- Risk of being fired.
- Apathy from the organization.
- Pressure from family to leave their job.
5. Organisation’s need for a clean report :
Organisations may choose to request complainant to withdraw their POSH Complaint or deny the grounds of the complaint to ensure that they have a clean record.
These are just a few reasons why POSH complaints might be zero. There could be many more that are not listed here.
What Do the News Articles Say About POSH Statistics?
Economic Times: Article Link
“Several companies listed among the top 100 have also reported zero cases, often for multiple years. In FY 2022-23, 27 companies among the top 100 reported zero cases of sexual harassment. Further, 14 of these did not report any cases in any year since the Act came into force. It was likely that several companies had not made sufficient effort to comply with the Act. The fact that many of the companies have not even made the mandatory disclosures in their annual reports for multiple years is an ample indication of that.”
ET HRWorld: Article Link
“A survey conducted by Stratefix Consulting, in collaboration with the NHRD, revealed that only 8% of the respondents were aware of the POSH policy prior to 2021, and 11% said they would leave the organization rather than choose to report sexual harassment.”
Is Zero POSH Complaints a Good Thing?
With such statistics, we urge you to think again. Is zero POSH complaints really a good thing, or is it time to dig deeper to uncover the reality?
—
POSHitive was started as a mini-blog by Safe Spaces Inc to simplify POSH Act and POSH compliance into bite-sized pieces easily understood by all. For support on POSH compliance related services, POSH trainings, or Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging trainings, visit our website: www.safespacesinc.in or write to us at support@safespacesinc.in.
Please note that this blog is meant to help you with practical aspects of POSH compliance and should not replace formal or legal advice.
