POSH Policy

Throughout these policy guidelines, reference to the following defined terms should be taken as having the following meaning:

1. ‘Aggrieved woman’ means a woman of any age whether employed at the company or not, who alleges to have been subjected to any act of sexual harassment by the respondent, as defined in point vi below.
2. ‘Staff member’ means a person employed at a company for any work on regular, temporary, ad hoc or daily wage basis either directly or through an agent including contractor, with or without the knowledge of the company, whether for remuneration or not, or working on a voluntary basis or otherwise, whether the terms of the employment are express or implied and includes a co-worker, a contract worker, probationer, trainee, apprentice or called by any other such name.
3. ‘Internal complaints committee’(ICC) means a committee as constituted under Section 4.
4. ‘Member’ means a member of the ICC  
5. ‘Presiding officer’ means the person who is nominated by the company to be the presiding officer (Chairperson) of the ICC
6. ‘Respondent’ means a person against whom the aggrieved woman has made a complaint
7. ‘Sexual Harassment’ refers to unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature at the workplace or outside the workplace that affects a woman staff member adversely. It includes any one or more of the following unwelcome acts or behavior (whether directly or by implication) namely:

• • • Using email or internet for the purpose of making abusive or offensive remarks related to pornography or inflammatory literature or
    • Unwelcome sexual advances, requests or demand for sexual favors, either explicitly or implicitly, in return for employment, promotion, examination or evaluation of a person towards any company activity or
    • Unwelcome sexual advances involving verbal, non-verbal, or physical conduct such as sexually colored remarks, jokes, letters, phone calls, e-mail, gestures, lurid stares, physical contact or
    • Molestation, stalking, sounds, display of pictures, signs, verbal or non-verbal communication which offends the individuals sensibilities and affect her/his performance or
    • Eve teasing, innuendos and taunts, physical confinement against one’s will and likely to intrude upon one’s privacy or
    • Act or conduct by a person in authority which creates the environment at workplace hostile or intimidating to a person belonging to the other sex;
    • Conduct of such an act at workplace or outside in relation to staff member of the company, or vice versa during the course of employment; 
    • Any unwelcome gesture by a staff member having sexual overtones

The following circumstances, among other circumstances, if it occurs or is present in relation to or connected with any act of behavior of sexual harassment may amount to sexual harassment:

1. Implied or explicit promise of preferential treatment in woman staff member’s employment or
2. Implied or explicit threat of detrimental treatment in woman staff member’s employment or
3. Implied or explicit threat about woman staff member’s present or future employment status or
4. Interference with woman staff member’s work or creating an intimidating or offensive or hostile work environment for woman staff member or
5. Humiliating treatment likely to affect woman staff member’s health or safety
6. Workplace means the entire premises of the company and surrounding area where work-related activities take place. It also includes social gatherings organized by company and any place officially visited by the staff member arising out of or during the course of association with the company including transportation provided by the company
7. Victimization shall be understood to mean any adverse action by an individual, group of individuals or organization against individuals because they have, in good faith, reported instances of sexual harassment or participated in or has been witnesses to proceedings to redress an alleged instance of sexual harassment.