It's Time to Make HR Policies More Effective To Avoid #MeToo Later On |
Posted: November 29, 2018 |
#MeToo Movement has taken the world by storm and many hidden facts are coming out of the closet. Be it in fashion and movie industry, be it in politics, jobs or workplaces, at public spaces or even at homes, there is someone or the other getting affected. Sexual harassment at the workplaces is one of the most common problems faced by employees, more so by women. We do have the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act on place since 2013 and many organizations have strictly followed it, having a separate department for handling such issues. But, rather than waiting for something mishap to happen and then complaining about it, it is better to prevent it at the onset. For sexual harassment, or say, any uncomfortable situations that you face at your offices, there is always some way or the other to avoid it. How can employees avoid sexual harassment at the workplace? By the time you complete your education and join a company, you are almost plus 21 years of age, which means, by this time you are matured enough to understand good or bad behaviour on the part of anyone in your office. So, there are many ways you can avoid or prevent it. If you get to do something which you are not comfortable with, either in lure of a job promotion or better growth, then it is you who is actually to be blamed because it is you who is giving him or her a chance. All of a sudden, you cannot blame someone and get into #MeToo to spoil the reputation of the other person. Anything mutual consent is not wrong, anything forcibly done is wrong. If needed, you should be bold enough to stop it there and then itself. Say “NO”…..firmly and loudly. A “NO” means “NO”… A person is staring at you, complementing you unnecessarily, passing on lewd comments, sending you vulgar pics and videos, holding you from behind without your knowledge, patting you on your back, asking you to accompany for a project work outside of your location….these are all some situations of sexual harassment that a woman employee can face at her office. What should you do under such circumstances? There is the sexual harassment complaint cell in your office. Give a written complaint against that person as soon as you get the hint, it’s no point prolonging it further and be a part of #MeToo later on. By that time, it is too late and the wrong has already been done. Don’t fall for prey and be a victim. Rather be strong enough to fight against it. It’s good to be ambitious in life but for the sake of your ambitions in life, it is no point to hurt your self-respect or remain silent. Speak up!! Time for HR Department to Implement More Policies to Avoid #MeToo The HR department can play a pivotal role in this. It’s time to change certain HR policies or implement new policies to avoid creating #MeToo campaign by any employees in the organization. What can HR do? Making strong and more effective anti-harassment and retaliation policies is the urgent need of the HR Department of any organizations. HR department should consider few facts: Does the harassment policy covers fully all the behaviours that constitute sexual harassment? Does the department have several reporting mechanisms? Is there any proper investigation procedure in place? And so on… The preventive steps…
It’s the HR which can bring about the real change in preventing #MeToo or Sexual Harassment at the work place. It’s time for the HR department to function, without being at the beck and call of the organization’s promoters and owners. HR needs to be empowered to create or update systems and policies so as to avoid #MeToo later on.
Blog Credit : https://goo.gl/9eTRcW
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