The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal)

I am sure many of you from India are aware of "The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act and Rules 2013"
I hope you have included this into your OHSAS legal requirements and accordingly addressed it.
Even if you are NOT a OHSAS company, please be aware of this act and suitably take your actions. In the event such an unfortunate incident surfaces at your workplace, you will be in a better position to handle it and legally be able to respond to situation. I hope your legal advisory has brought this up to the company notice.
Just a heads up and worth it I felt ...
Thank you

Re: The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressa

somashekar said:

Just a heads up and worth it I felt ...

Click to expand...

So do I. Good job, Soma.

Legislation differs between nations, but the point is well taken, and probably valid worldwide. Besides, it is not all about legislation, but IMO even more about mindset.

Re: The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressa

The REDACTED harassment of women is a common thing in the Australian safety scene but I for one never cease to be amazed at the amount of focus given the REDACTED harassment of females alone when REDACTED harassment of males by other males is also something that should be included in any harassment policy.

For these reasons I think any harassment policy should not focus on REDACTED harassment alone. There are many forms of harassment including bullying.

For what its worth, I also prefer the use of the word gender and not the word sex when discussing harassment in the workplace. The word 'gender' gives it a more universal application.

Incidentally, I have noticed that many REDACTED harassment policies are drafted by males and I wonder if that explains the concentration on sex in the policy.

Just for the record, I am am a straight bloke.

Just my 2 cents.

Re: The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressa

All good points, Kgott.

Re: The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressa

Always good to highlight harassment legislation, especially new requirements/legislation/amendments.

One observation I would make and that is REDACTED harassment gets a lot more attention than other kinds of harassment. Having been a victim of harassment (not REDACTED I hasten to add) who addressed it as best as I could I would prefer to see a unified harassment legislation rather than splitting into REDACTED harassment, racial harassment, etc.

Just my view as harassment of any type can be extremely stressful and can affect the victims deeply. I am sure that there would be commonality in the approach required for all these forms such that a single, integrated set of legislative instruments could be written into law.

Sorry if this post is off topic but I have this strongly held opinion that harassment type is irrelevant compared to the way it affects the victim and the need for prevention and procedures for redress. I am sure a lot of victims are not bothered about compensation just want it to stop. Redress is probably more about making it stop. PS it stopped for me when I went formal using the law which is pretty good in the UK I think. I stayed with the company, longer than the perpetrator I might add.

Re: The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressa

I would suggest your posts are quite on topic, and quite applicable.

I do think that more attention needs to be given by people in the workplace to REDACTED harassment policies. Namely, it needs to create more than just awareness; there needs to be understanding. Optimally this creates a Culture where men (primarily) understand that harassment will not be tolerated; and to a small extend, not create such a cold, sterile work environment that men are afraid to say anything to a woman; or vice versa.

Hopefully in there is the ability of a woman to tell a guy "knock it off", "I'd appreciate it if you would not tell me those kinds of jokes; etc."; and that the guy apologize, and not do it again.

While I wholly agree about bullying and such, I think REDACTED harassment may be in a category of it's own.

The Movie Disclosure does a pretty good job of this; demonstrating how a woman could sexually harass a man. Then, turn around and attempt to discredit/ get fired/ etc.

Since it was Hollywood, it ended well. unfortunately life doesn't always have such storybook endings.

I always try to keep a simple rule in my mind... However I would want my mom, wife, daughter and aunts to be treated, and whatever kind of workplace they should have to work in; becomes a clear guiding light for my actions and what is accepted. Note... when I say "accepted", is if someone was making my wife uncomfortable in the workplace and for whatever reason she chose not to say something, that another person would say something and not just "accept it" with whatever rationale they might have. There's just no place for that behavior in the workplace.

Re: The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressa

I guess it depends on the level of harassment in the particular type whether it is in another class or not. Bear in mind as disagreeable as it might be REDACTED harassment can be present at a low level that is acceptable to the recipients. However other types of harassment can be at a much higher level with greater impact on the victim.

It might be extreme ends of the spectrum but someone is bullied at work and commits suicide is not in the same class as a mildly lewd comment to a female employee that she had the skills to field away from teenage. I know that is extreme examples but my point is the effect on the victim defines the severity or class of the harassment not the type IMHO.

Another example of harassment (non-REDACTED) from Hollywood could be the film where Nicholson was the Marine commandant in charge when a "code red" was applied resulting in a death. This is not too far fetched neither, I can think of something similar that happened in real life.

This is just my view, the severity and hence the response from employees should be related to the effect on the individual somehow not just the type of harassment. I can understand how instances when low level REDACTED harassment, as bad as that still is, gets a big response from management but the higher level harassment of a different type gets tolerated or ignored.

Re: The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressa

TPMB4 said:

I guess it depends on the level of harassment in the particular type whether it is in another class or not. Bear in mind as disagreeable as it might be REDACTED harassment can be present at a low level that is acceptable to the recipients. However other types of harassment can be at a much higher level with greater impact on the victim.

It might be extreme ends of the spectrum but someone is bullied at work and commits suicide is not in the same class as a mildly lewd comment to a female employee that she had the skills to field away from teenage. I know that is extreme examples but my point is the effect on the victim defines the severity or class of the harassment not the type IMHO.

Another example of harassment (non-REDACTED) from Hollywood could be the film where Nicholson was the Marine commandant in charge when a "code red" was applied resulting in a death. This is not too far fetched neither, I can think of something similar that happened in real life.

This is just my view, the severity and hence the response from employees should be related to the effect on the individual somehow not just the type of harassment. I can understand how instances when low level REDACTED harassment, as bad as that still is, gets a big response from management but the higher level harassment of a different type gets tolerated or ignored.

Click to expand...

I will certainly agree with you that bullying is not to be taken lightly or diminished. I don't like bullies either; and they come in all shapes and forms.

I also think all complaints should rise to an equivalent level of investigation. A slightly off-colored joke doesn't need to go to the Board Of Directors, and verbal abuse from one employee to another doesn't need to be dismissed as a "bad day".

Bear in mind as disagreeable as it might be REDACTED harassment can be present at a low level that is acceptable to the recipients.

Click to expand...

I am not sure what you mean here. Can you clarify?

Re: The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressa

TPMB4 said:

I guess it depends on the level of harassment in the particular type whether it is in another class or not. Bear in mind as disagreeable as it might be REDACTED harassment can be present at a low level that is acceptable to the recipients. However other types of harassment can be at a much higher level with greater impact on the victim.

It might be extreme ends of the spectrum but someone is bullied at work and commits suicide is not in the same class as a mildly lewd comment to a female employee that she had the skills to field away from teenage. I know that is extreme examples but my point is the effect on the victim defines the severity or class of the harassment not the type IMHO.

Another example of harassment (non-REDACTED) from Hollywood could be the film where Nicholson was the Marine commandant in charge when a "code red" was applied resulting in a death. This is not too far fetched neither, I can think of something similar that happened in real life.

This is just my view, the severity and hence the response from employees should be related to the effect on the individual somehow not just the type of harassment. I can understand how instances when low level REDACTED harassment, as bad as that still is, gets a big response from management but the higher level harassment of a different type gets tolerated or ignored.

Click to expand...

BradM said:

I will certainly agree with you that bullying is not to be taken lightly or diminished. I don't like bullies either; and they come in all shapes and forms.

I also think all complaints should rise to an equivalent level of investigation. A slightly off-colored joke doesn't need to go to the Board Of Directors, and verbal abuse from one employee to another doesn't need to be dismissed as a "bad day".

Bear in mind as disagreeable as it might be REDACTED harassment can be present at a low level that is acceptable to the recipients.

Click to expand...

I am not sure what you mean here. Can you clarify?

Click to expand...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think what TPMB4 is saying is that harassment is in the eye of the beholder, or the target. What offends one person might not offend another, or something like that.

This is a very slippery slope, and one to be avoided. My own personal rule of thumb is to never say anything to a female coworker that I wouldn't say to a male. This includes such seemingly innocuous things as compliments about clothing or new hairdos or cologne. The best way to keep from going off the edge of a cliff is to stay the heck away from the edge.

We also need to remember that this is an international forum and the mores in this regard are widely different in different geographic locales. Women everywhere should be treated with respect and as equals, but there are women in the world today who are a whole lot further away from equal than in other parts of the globe.

Re: The REDACTED Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressa

I am not very good at getting my views across sometimes I know so I will try and clarify my views. Please note this is only my views and you are all welcome to disagree and keep to your own.

My opinion is that whatever type or driver for the harassment whether it is REDACTED/gender based, racial, religious or any other origin should not be used to give a hierarchy to harassment. The only hierarchy should be the severity of the harassment or the effects. If you like the harm it does which due to the effects the "mind" has on the physical body can be considerable if sustained at a high level.

As I said it is my opinion only, that harassment at equivalent levels among the various types or distinctions that laws and people place on it can be considered equal. Is REDACTED harassment worse than religious harassment or racial, etc.?? I could be way off the mark here but it is my view based on what I learnt about workplace harassment through experience. I'm far from being overly sensitive (I'm one of those people that insults and harassment just gets shrugged off like water off a duck's back), but I got totally surprised at how the effects of harassment crept up and overwhelmed me eventually. Well nearly, I sorted it by asserting my rights. It did give me my views that what we or anyone thinks it is what the victim is feeling and his/her views on the severity that matters.

Perhaps I might clarify with an example. An army training base had more than one suicide from its young and male recruits. After cover up, inquiry and further cover up there was a link with the brutality of the training methods and no system in place for the victims. These were 16/17 year olds with nowhere to go for redress. There was no REDACTED component there but the outcome was of the utmost severity - suicide. If the outcome was the same but the harassment had a REDACTED element is it any worse? Scale that back down to "just a case of the verbals" for REDACTED and non-REDACTED harassment. My view is that it is the same.

Sorry about the overly long post.