Charlene Solomon in Human Resource Executive
An article in Human Resource Executve, Confronting Sexual Harassment in India, details the incidence of sexual harassment directed towards women in the IT and BPO industries.
Nearly 9 in 10 female workers have witnessed some form of workplace sexual harassment, according to a survey of IT and BPO employees. And nearly three-quarters of the time, the perpetrator was the victim’s manager or supervisor.
RW3′s Charlene Solomon provides insight into the cultural factors at play in the Indian workplace:
The social taboos against public displays of sexuality also discourage frank talk about sexual harassment, [Solomon] adds. ‘Sexual harassment is the elephant in the room — it’s not below the radar, but people feel it’s inappropriate to talk about it…Women in India will not come forward easily [to report harassment] because they do not want to be seen as challenging authority and creating disharmony in the organization,’ she says.
To more effectively deliver messages regarding sexual harassment policy, Solomon says “It’s better to err on the side of giving too much education on the corporate policies against harassment. And for the male employees holding positions of authority, it’s important to remind them — consistently — that the company will not tolerate sexual harassment by anyone.”
We’re interested in hearing your experiences. What have you seen or heard in the Indian workplace? How else would culture impact the HR responsibility to make the organization aware of policy and ways to bring harassment cases forward?
