Mumbai: ‘There is power in encouragement’

It is 10 years since the Prevention of Sexual Harassment POSH law was formed The POSH Act was enacted by the government in 2013 to address sexual harassment faced by women in the workplace The milestone anniversary was marked by an event called the KelpHR POSH Awards 2023 which acknowledged and awarded the lsquoTop 25 Safest Workplaces in IndiarsquoOn a Thursday late morning at a Bandra centre the audience comprising award winners and organisation leaders and employees heard event anchor Nishtha Nishant acting CEO of TWEET Foundation which is a transled organisation working to empower the trans community set the tenor as she said ldquoFinding safety at the workplace translates into happiness capability and the freedom to be yourselfrdquoDr Pradnya Saravade makes her point at the KelpHR POSH Awards 2023 event at BandraSmita ShettyKapoor CEO and Cofounder KelpHR said ldquoThe POSH is just 10 years old and in that sense it is a young law Yet it has changed the lens of how corporate and workplaces view their space When we talk about safety it means that your workspace should not be just physically safe but psychologically safe toordquoThe loopChief guest Dr Pradnya Saravade IPS director general of police railways Maharashtra State in her riveting address said after giving away several awards ldquoThis is a great way to celebrate 10 years of POSHrdquo The dignified cop opined that safety at the workplace completes the loop She explained ldquoWe had laws for womenrsquos safety at home like domestic violence etc there were laws for womenrsquos safety in public spaces too This was the missing piece and the POSH Act makes up the trio when it comes to overall womenrsquos safetyrdquoPositive vibesThe top cop took a philosophical view of laws saying they stipulate punitive action Yet she said ldquoThere is nothing like encouraging something Encouragement actually goes a long way and can change the culture of a placerdquo Saravade said ldquoLaw enforcement personnel consider their framework as ldquonegativerdquo as it is the nature of their work to catch those who break the law It is not just punishment but awards and recognition that are important That is why we have something called lsquoBeyond The Call of Dutyrsquo in the Railways Personnel have in so many instances gone over and beyond their call of duty saving numerous lives where people have attempted suicide on the train tracks Many police persons have saved these souls at considerable risk to their own lives We have rewarded these heroes We now have higher numbers of personnel who are going beyond their call of duty It shows the power of encouragementrdquo She ended ldquoThere are good things happening in the privatecorporate workspace when it comes to fighting harassment but lots needs to be done in Govt workspacesrdquoBeing inclusiveFrom enforcement to inclusivity the eventrsquos keynote speaker Sridhar Rangayan an out gay man and director Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival brought in the diversity and safe working space aspect into the spotlight Rangayan said ldquoThe MeToo movement really opened my eyes to workplace harassment How do you belong to an organisation When you feel saferdquo Rangayan said over time inclusivity has changed too ldquoEarlier inclusivity meant getting more women into the workspace With so many women working today it is now about having Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender LGBT employees in the organisation When you employ a transgender person remember that they may have the same skills the same commitment as anybody else the LGBT is just a tagrdquoFear persistsFor the film director there is a realisation that ldquoThere are several frontrunners in the corporate space when it comes to LGBT inclusivity Yet verbal harassment which also comes under the sexual harassment umbrella is present in some organisations There are a worryingly high number of employees who are in the closet in workspaces You bring your full self to your company by being out and the company has to create that atmosphere of safetyrdquo Rangayan trained the lens on the personal and importance of acceptance as he explained ldquoI am an out gay man My mother is from a Tier II place she was in the audience and earned a round of applause and the family accepted me That started my journey to being my full self I wear many hats and do so with priderdquo he signed off