The FICCI, in collaboration with S.S. Rana & Co, organized a Workshop on Women Safety at Workplace on May 11, 2023 at FICCI, New Delhi.

Some focal points where the Workshop touched upon were awareness about sexual harassment at workplace, understanding of the POSH Act, behaviours that are actionable under the POSH Act, compliances and penalties and mock trials.

Numbers are indicative as to how sexual harassment at workplace is a critical concern and to ensure utmost safety at workplace it is imperative that organizations and employers take steps towards preventing acts of sexual harassment at workplace. Hence, the Workshop aimed at sensitizing the attendees, such as ICC Members, HR professionals, administrative heads, safety and security heads about complaint mechanism under POSH, compliances for employers, penal consequences, complain redressal mechanism under the POSH Act.

The event commenced with a warm welcome address by Jayanti Dalmia, Immediate Past President, FICCI Ladies Organization and Adviser Dalmia Brothers Private Limited. Thereafter, Vikrant Rana, Managing Partner at S.S. Rana & Co. gave a riveting presentation on Women Safety at the Workplace, wherein he elucidated on lack of awareness of POSH Law, the intrinsic features of POSH Law and as to how POSH Law is also an essential ingredient of Diversity & Inclusion. Rana’s presentation was followed by a captivating session on “Theory and Background of the POSH Act, 2013” by Anuradha Gandhi, Consultant (D&I and POSH), Managing Associate at S.S. Rana & Co.

S.S. Rana & Co, being the Knowledge Partner in collaboration with FICCI, launched a Report on "Women Safety at Workplace", which is a compendium about the laws and issues pertaining to sexual harassment at workplace and the POSH Law in India. Considering the dearth of existing literature on the subject, the Report addresses myriad critical concerns emerging from sexual harassment at workplace.

The Workshop also comprised of Mock Trials depicting complaints of various categories, such as a genuine sexual harassment complaint, false/ malicious complaint and misunderstanding/ misrepresentation. The mock trials were conducted before distinguished panelists comprising of professors from Law Schools, In-House Counsels, HR of companies and CEOs as under:

Panel 1

Archana Maini, Campus Shoes,

Prof. Mini Srivastava, Assistant Professor, Amity Law School

Prof. Deepshikha Agarwal, Professor, University of Law & Legal Studies

Prof. Rajat Banerjee, Assistant Professor, Amity Law School

Dr. Rakhi Gupta, FCS & LPEC

Panel 2

Asha Duggi, CEO, E-flex Technologies- Orionsecure

Sonam Sahni, External Affairs & Member IC, HERE

Uma

Vinay Kumar, Director HR- North, Hyatt

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