It’s that time of the year again when employers are gearing up to complete the statutorily mandated annual POSH trainings. Some key considerations are outlined below.
Why Should a Lawyer Conduct POSH Training?
A lawyer brings critical legal expertise to the table, ensuring that participants are well-informed about the statutory requirements and judicial developments surrounding the POSH Act. This includes guidance on reporting, investigating, and adjudicating complaints while staying aligned with the latest case law. A legally trained POSH facilitator also ensures that Internal Committees (ICs) are updated on evolving compliance obligations.
Training Formats
- Onsite Workshops (PAN-India): Face-to-face, interactive sessions tailored for organizations that prefer in-person engagement.
- Virtual Webinars: Comprehensive online training for teams across geographies.
Specialized Training Programs
- Internal Committee (IC) Member Training: Practical guidance on handling complaints with fairness, sensitivity, and compliance.
- Employee Awareness Training: Equips employees with an understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment, applicable laws, company policies, and their rights.
- Manager Awareness Training: Focuses on identifying harassment, responding appropriately, and escalating complaints responsibly.
- Leadership & HR Training: Empowers leaders and HR professionals to implement policies effectively, creating a harassment-free workplace both in letter and spirit.
Key Modules
- Understanding Workplace Harassment: Identifying different forms of harassment, personal boundaries, and unacceptable conduct.
- Rights & Responsibilities: Setting behavioral standards and outlining reporting mechanisms.
- Complaint Redressal Process: Step-by-step training on receiving, assessing, and resolving complaints.
- Role of the IC: Strengthening IC capacity to conduct fair, impartial investigations. ICs must avoid rejecting complaints on hyper-technical grounds and ensure that proceedings are transparent, procedurally sound, and aligned with principles of natural justice.
Section 19 – Duties of Employers
Employers are legally obligated to:
- Provide a safe working environment.
- Constitute and maintain a well-trained Internal Committee.
- Ensure complaints are evaluated fairly and in their entirety.
- Protect the confidentiality of proceedings.
- Implement strong safeguards against retaliation.
Robust POSH training not only ensures compliance but also fosters a respectful, inclusive, and safe workplace culture.