Facing Harassment or bullying? Do This.

"You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women." – Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Harassment or bullying?

There is a distinction between bullying and harassment, and the phenomenon is global rather than region-specific. Bullying in the workplace is gender agnostic, and it can be perpetrated by both male and female bosses.

Bullying isn't limited to one occurrence because it's a long-term problem that impacts the victim's emotional, psychological, and mental health. It can begin with individual bullying and progress to serial bullying, which can last for years and involve inter-departmental teams, leaving the employee with little choice but to leave the organisation.

Client bullying, cyberbullying, non-cooperation, name-calling, and holding deep-buried hatred owing to linguistic and cultural differences, or even the victim being more talented and capable than others, are other aspects. Unfortunately, there is no law to handle workplace bullying since it is difficult to identify and quantify because it rarely goes beyond the realm of visible or overt forms of bullying, such as physical assault or inappropriate gestures.

Workplace sexual harassment is gender discrimination that robs women of their right to work and equality in life, as codified in Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Indian Constitution. Sexual harassment in the workplace is not only unethical but also harms the economy. It also limits women's opportunities. Furthermore, such circumstances make them feel anxious and apprehensive. Apart from interfering with their work performance, they are also affected socially, personally, and emotionally. All regular, ad hoc employees, probationers, apprentices, contract labourers, and even those employed on a daily wage basis are covered by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act 2013. This rule took effect when the Supreme Court of India recognised sexual harassment at work as a human rights violation in the landmark case Vishaka and others v. State of Rajasthan ("Vishaka Judgement ").

The truth is

According to a survey conducted by the Indian Bar Association in 2017, despite a strong statute and improved knowledge about women's rights following the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case, over 70% of women do not report sexual harassment cases by their superiors.

According to a 2015 study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), 36% of Indian companies and 25% of multinational companies lack an internal complaints committee (ICC), which is required by the Sexual Harassment Act, 2013 for any private or public organisation with 10 or more employees.

To conclude, a training session on women's safety and workplace harassment is merely another item on the HR training checklist for most firms.

Why is there such a void?

Women often use silence because endurance appears to be less bitter medicine for them. Finally, taking action would jeopardise not only their relationship with their supervisor but it may also jeopardise their employment.

One of the reasons why women shy away from our long and tedious court procedure is a lack of support from employees, including female colleagues. Legal cases become public documents that anybody with interest can read, making it more difficult for future employers to recruit them because no one wants to hire someone who has sued someone.

How to Deal with Harassment at Work

Do not ignore?

In this scenario, silence is not the best defence because ignoring it in the hopes that it would go away will exacerbate the problem. If you don't want to go to the extent of recording your complaint, you should express your feelings plainly in a non-threatening manner.

Keep records

Begin recording everything, including CCTV video, the date, time, duration, and nature of phone calls, SMS messages, and emails, among other things.

Do not retract your complaint.?

Because women harassment cases may seriously tarnish a company's image, an inquiry will likely be launched as soon as you register your complaint. The chances are considerably better than the assigned investigating officer, who is unconcerned about such matters. If you retract your report, you will not only damage your reputation as an escapist, but it will also bolster the ego of the offender, encouraging him to attempt on other women.

Many women take the easy and comfortable route of conceding and worry a lot about the consequences, whereas only a few women who believe that their self-respect is non-negotiable stand up to it. Be grateful that you are among the select group of women who speak out.

Winston Churchill once said about having enemies-

Do you have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something sometime in your life.