POSH India Fundamentals Training – Workplace Sexual Harassment Awareness & Compliance (POSH Act, 2013)

POSH refers to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment law in India, formally known as the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. It mandates employers to prevent workplace sexual harassment, establish an Internal Committee, conduct inquiries, and ensure a safe and respectful work environment.

For many years, India had no dedicated law to address sexual harassment at work, and complaints were handled informally, often resulting in silence, retaliation, or victim-blaming. 

In 1997, the landmark Vishaka vs. State of Rajasthan case changed this landscape.
A social worker, Bhanwari Devi, was gang-raped while preventing child marriage. The lack of accountability mechanisms led women’s groups to petition the Supreme Court. 

The Supreme Court acknowledged sexual harassment as a violation of fundamental rights (Articles 14, 15, and 21), and issued the historic Vishaka Guidelines, mandating safe work environments and internal complaint mechanisms in all workplaces. 

These guidelines acted as temporary law for 16 years, laying the foundation for workplace safety norms, Internal Committees, preventive steps, and grievance redressal procedures. 

Finally, in 2013, the Government of India enacted the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, commonly referred to as POSH Act, formalising the Vishaka framework into statutory law. 

The law requires every org to: 

• Create a safe, respectful work environment

• Establish an Internal Committee (IC)

• Conduct awareness & sensitisation training

• Provide timely redressal of complaints

• Implement policies, prevention systems & reporting structures

The POSH Act mandates employers to create awareness, conduct sensitisation programmes, and ensure employees understand rights, duties, acceptable behaviour, and reporting mechanisms. Training helps prevent incidents, builds a respectful culture, and serves as proof of due diligence.

The course teaches employees to identify sexual harassment, understand types (verbal, written, visual, physical), recognise quid-pro-quo vs hostile work environment, differentiate reasonable behaviour from harassment, know reporting steps, understand IC process, remote-work dos & don’ts, and consequences of false complaints.

Yes. It explains that workplace includes client sites, transport, business travel, office events, communication channels, company accommodation, and virtual/remote environments, making it relevant for modern workplaces.

Mandatory disclosures under Chapter VIII of the POSH Act and SEBI’s 2018 requirement have significantly increased visibility of workplace sexual-harassment complaints. Reported cases rose from 161 in FY 2013–14 (the Act’s first year) to 465 within a year, reaching 961 in FY 2019–20, 586 in FY 2020–21, 767 in FY 2021–22, and then surging 51.2% to 1,160 in FY 2022–23 across 300 listed companies.  

However, case resolution has lagged behind reporting, with pending complaints increasing from 29 in FY 2013–14 to 202 by FY 2022–23. The data also shows concentrated reporting: in FY 2022–23, 1,160 cases came from just 81 companies, with 50% reported by only eight companies, while 219 companies reported zero cases, despite disclosure being mandatory. Notably, 98–100% of cases were reported by large companies, 1–2% by mid-sized firms, and none by small companies, highlighting both the POSH Act’s impact in surfacing complaints and ongoing gaps in compliance, reporting consistency, and case closure.

The POSH training explains reporting steps, role of Internal Committee (IC), timelines, conciliation/inquiry process, confidentiality rules, and actions available to victims, witnesses and bystanders.

The POSH Act does not explicitly include Bystander Intervention but our course includes it. 

Bystander intervention is a globally recognized prevention strategy used to: 

• Encourage employees to take safe, responsible action
• Create a culture of shared accountability
• Prevent harassment before escalation

Our course teaches Direct, Distract, Delegate, Delay techniques to empower employees to intervene safely if they witness harassment: 

• Direct – Address the behavior directly (if safe to do so).
• Distract – Interrupt or divert attention to stop the situation.
• Delegate – Seek help from HR, a manager, or another authority figure.
• Delay – Check in with the affected person afterward and offer support.

Yes. POSH training for employees and Internal Committee (IC) members helps reduce misuse and false allegations by increasing legal awareness, improving complaint quality, and reinforcing consequences for malicious filing. 

False complaints are statistically rare: 

• A 2018 study by India’s Ministry of Women and Child Development found that only about 2–3% of all complaints filed under the POSH Act were determined to be false after inquiry. This suggests that deliberate misuse is not widespread relative to overall complaints.
• Independent research also asserts that less than 1% of POSH complaints may be false when examined, confirming that most complaints reflect genuine concerns rather than misuse.

Legal safeguards reduce misuse: 

• Section 14 of the POSH Act allows the Internal Committee to recommend action against a complainant if the complaint is found to be false or made with malicious intent.
• Penalties can include disciplinary action under service rules, suspension, demotion, or termination of employment for malicious filing, which serves as a deterrent.
• Case law (e.g., Anita Suresh v. Union of India) shows courts upholding sanctions where the POSH process finds misuse.

POSH training strengthens prevention and compliance: 

• Training clarifies what constitutes sexual harassment versus non-actionable conduct, reducing misinterpretation and the likelihood of erroneously filed complaints.
• Employees educated on legal standards and evidence expectations are significantly less likely to file complaints that later prove unsubstantiated.
• Training for Internal Committees improves impartial investigations, which lowers the risk of erroneous conclusions and ensures due process for both complainants and respondents

Absolutely. Anyone present in workplace - interns, volunteers, housekeeping staff, contractors, visitors - has the right to file a complaint, so training helps create universal awareness.

POSH training helps organisations meet their legal obligations under the POSH Act, 2013 by demonstrating proactive prevention, improves employee awareness, ensures IC process understanding, reduces risk of legal escalation, and strengthens audit readiness that are critical elements for POSH compliance.

Yes. It covers acceptable and unacceptable behaviour during video calls, chats, emails, messaging, social media interaction, and WFH etiquette.

Employees will be able to identify harassment, respond appropriately, maintain professionalism, respect boundaries, support safe reporting, and uphold a positive workplace culture.

An Internal Committee (IC) is a group set up within an organisation under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. Every organisation with 10 or more employees must form an IC to prevent sexual harassment, receive complaints, and ensure they are handled fairly. 

If an employee experiences or witnesses sexual harassment, the matter should be reported to the IC so it can listen, examine the facts, and take appropriate action as per the law. The IC is trained to deal with such sensitive issues in an impartial and confidential manner. 

The law gives the IC special powers similar to a civil court, allowing it to call people for questioning and review evidence. It must also complete the complaint process within fixed timelines, ensuring complaints are resolved promptly and justly. 

When a complaint is made, the Internal Committee (IC) follows a clear and time-bound process laid down by law. The IC must complete its inquiry within 90 days. During this period, it listens to both sides, reviews evidence, and ensures the process is fair and confidential. 

Once the inquiry is finished, the IC prepares a written report with its findings and recommendations within 10 days. This report is shared with the management and also given to both the complainant and the respondent. Based on the facts of the case, the IC may recommend actions such as a warning, suspension, or even termination of employment. 

In some cases, the IC may also recommend that the respondent pay monetary compensation to the aggrieved employee. The exact recommendation depends on the nature and seriousness of the complaint. After receiving the report, the management is required to take appropriate action within 60 days.

The delivery is fully flexible. If you have an in-house LMS, we can provide the course as a SCORM-compliant package. If not, we offer a seamless SaaS-based hosting option for easy access and deployment.