This is not the sexual harassment

Aditya, a team leader at a marketing firm, noticed that one of his team members, Divya, had been regularly missing team meetings and was not meeting project deadlines. Concerned about the impact on the team's productivity, Aditya decided to address the issue directly.

Approaching Divya with empathy, Aditya expressed his concern for her recent absences and inquired if everything was okay. Divya assured him that everything was fine but mentioned that she had some family priorities that needed attention, causing her to lose focus from work. She promised to improve her attendance going forward.

Despite this assurance, the next day, Divya was absent again without informing Aditya or any other team member. Aditya decided to call Divya to check on an important report that was supposed to be presented at a management meeting on the same day. However, Divya did not answer the call. In frustration, Aditya sent her emails.

Divya became stressed and found herself unable to handle the work pressure, she approached the Internal Committee (IC) and alleged that "Aditya continuously creates situations to meet with Divya. His persistent calls make her uncomfortable. Additionally, Aditya is now insisting on meeting Divya in person at the office."

Upon investigation, it was revealed that Aditya had instructed all team members to adhere to office reporting times and attend meetings punctually. This was proved by the roster he maintained, as well as the emails and chats he sent to his team members.

The IC determined that the charges against Aditya were false.

Employees must understand behaviors that do not constitute sexual harassment, such as:

• Following up on the work absence
• Requiring performance to meet job standards
• Reprimands in relation to work/meeting targets or deadlines
• Work related stress Eg: Targets, deadlines
• Setting conditions for work
• Touching, brushing against, patting, pushing without a sexual connotation
• Constructive feedback about the work
• The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, Redressal) Act 2013 delineates what constitutes sexual harassment

Note: Names used in this story are fictional.

Written By:

Anjali Suneja |

Certified POSH trainer||External IC Member

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