Why are PoSH awareness sessions important?

PoSH awareness sessions play a pivotal role in cultivating a positive work environment that fosters respect, trust, and equality among employees. HR leaders, founders, and people managers must conduct regular PoSH awareness sessions to promote a healthy and positive workplace culture. 

Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, more commonly known as the PoSH Act, was enacted in 2013. The legislature aimed to prevent, prohibit and provide redressal workplace sexual harassment. The intent of the law is to create a safe workplace for women without their integrity getting impacted. 

Importance of PoSH awareness sessions

If employees are not made aware of the PoSH Act and their legal rights originating from them, then how will they practice it? Compliance and legal obligations, promoting awareness, fostering inclusivity, and improvement in employee engagement are a few reasons why PoSH awareness sessions are important. 

1. Compliance and legal obligations

It is mandatory for organizations to hold PoSH awareness sessions under section 19 of the PoSH Act. The action of non-compliance is subject to penalty under the PoSH Act. The purpose behind making it a legal mandate was to empower vulnerable employees in the workplace.

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2. Promoting awareness

Awareness sessions are necessary for educating individuals about what constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace. Through these sessions employees will be able to recognize the difference between harmless banter and harmful behavior, leading to more respectful interactions. 

3. Fostering Inclusivity

PoSH awareness sessions do not just address workplace sexual harassment but also encourage an inclusive workplace culture that values diversity and equity. By emphasizing the importance of treating all colleagues with respect, regardless of gender employees are encouraged to celebrate differences and build stronger, more cohesive teams.

4. Improvement in employee engagement

These awareness sessions will help organizations build a safe and secure workplace for their employees. The feeling of security in the employees will lead to an increase in overall productivity. Employees thrive in an optimistic workplace culture and it’s all about nurturing them in the right way.

Also Read: Understanding workplace under PoSH Act

Best practices while conducting PoSH awareness sessions

It is common for organizations to commit mistakes while conducting PoSH awareness sessions. However, organizing these sessions is not enough, they need to be implemented effectively. Here are some of the best practices to ensure that these sessions create an impact.

1. Conduct sessions at regular intervals

Organizations tend to hold annual sessions which is just a mere formality on their part. But if we want to see an effective and positive change in employee morale then it is pertinent that we hold them regularly. Conducting these sessions regularly in offline or online mode might not always be feasible. This is where self-paced e-learning modules can really help.

Pooja Poddar, Head of PoSH Services & Internal Ops at Ungender, says: 

“At Ungender, we see a rise in the number of awareness sessions being conducted towards the end of the year when organizations are trying to get their mandatory training in place in time. But it is important to understand that Rome was not built in a day. When any organization aims at building a safe workplace for all or at ensuring that every employee understands the conduct expected out of them towards the internal or external stakeholders, such shifts will not happen in one session. Employees are from all walks of life and have diverse thought processes. If we want them to be aligned, they need to be given sensitization at proper intervals so that small shifts can happen every time they come out of a session.”

2. Refreshing data and content regularly

It is very important to keep updating and refreshing the data and content regularly to make it impactful. We at Ungender, update our training material regularly to keep it getting from obsolete. The updated material helps stay relevant throughout the awareness sessions and will also help you address your audience’s issues. 

3. Customized and tailored content

One size fits all policy cannot be used here by organizations that cater to several employees. Tailor the content of the awareness session to address the specific needs and concerns of your audience. Consider the industry, organizational culture, and demographics of the participants to ensure the content resonates with them

4. Using case studies and examples

Most people learn better through case studies, situations, scenarios, and examples. This approach helps individuals connect with the intent of the law and understand it better. Real-life situations and examples increase interest in the topic and lead to better retention during and after the training sessions. 

5. Making the sessions interactive

Interactive sessions make it interesting for the participants leading to higher audience engagement. At Ungender our goal while conducting PoSH awareness sessions is to avoid monotonous lectures that might disengage the participants. Hence, we try to include elements like Q&As, games, and quizzes, group discussions to make it interesting.

 Also Read: How to make your PoSH training for employees effective?

Conclusion

By investing in PoSH awareness sessions, organizations demonstrate their commitment to the well-being of their employees, foster a positive work environment, and contribute to a society free from sexual harassment. However, we need to remember that PoSH awareness sessions are the first step to preventing workplace sexual harassment and empowering women. 

How can Ungender help you? 

At Ungender, our team of experts will help you create a safe workplace by developing employee-centric PoSH awareness programs. We curate the sessions as per the specific needs of the organization and the team members. We also conduct intensive training sessions for the employees which will equip them with a proper understanding of the PoSH Act. Organizations can also use our self-paced e-learning modules for consistent behavioral learning and development. Get in touch with us to know more. 

FAQs

1. Is it mandatory to conduct PoSH awareness sessions? 

Yes, it is a mandate as per section 19 of the PoSH Act. 

2. What is a PoSH awareness session?

These sessions are conducted to make the employees aware of their rights under the PoSH Act. 

3. Why is an awareness session important? 

It helps employees become aware of the behaviors that fall under sexual harassment. It also helps create an inclusive workspace for all. 

4. What are the objectives of PoSH?

The main idea is to prevent, prohibit and provide redressal for workplace sexual harassment. To create a respectful and safe workplace culture. 

5. What are the benefits of PoSH training?

It helps employees identify and differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate behavior in the workplace.

Written by: Aarshi Katiyar