'At times, cos tacitly ask harassment victims to leave'

Many companies have anti-sexual harassment policies in place but in some instances where the victim is not satisfied with the redressal process, the person is tacitly asked to leave, says a survey.
Around 92 per cent of respondents said that they had anti-sexual harassment policies in their organisations, as per the survey by consultancy Deloitte.
To create awareness about sexual harassment at workplace, companies are opting measures such as making information available on the intranet or HR portal, conducting workshops, using common areas of the office to share posters and information booklets on the subject.
Instances where victims are unsatisfied with the redressal process, 35 per cent of the respondents indicated that they were offered "a transfer to another department, asked to tacitly leave the organisation or left to choose their own course of action".

The findings are based on a survey of over 50 legal and HR heads at various organisations. It was done by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP.
"It is important to understand that sexual harassment tends to stem largely from cultural issues and can manifest itself in myriad forms -- some of which, an employee may not even be able to readily identify so as to seek help," said Rohit Mahajan, APAC Leader, Partner, and Head, Forensic, Financial Advisory, Deloitte.

In such cases a more participative approach, including discussing case studies and potential sexual harassment scenarios, can help employees readily identify and respond to such incidents, he added.

The POSH Act mandates resolution of complaints within 90 days of filing the complaint.
Adopting a web-based case management system may bring in efficiencies in the monitoring and resolution process, the report said.