Chief minister Sheila Dikshit wants men to be sensitive to women co-workers. Speaking at a training workshop on prevention of sexual harassment at work place recently, Dikshit stressed, “Men should be more sensitive and must keep the dignity of women in mind. Delhi has a large number of workingwomen. It has been noticed that on certain occasions women employees are forced to face unpleasant situations in their offices as well as during their travel time. We have to provide them safety and a sense of dignity.”
Women professionals in the city laud CM’s remarks and agree that it is the need of the hour that both men and organisations strive to make the working environment more congenial for women.
Priya Sharma (name changed), professional, shares, “After not getting the appraisal I deserved at my previous organisation, I went to speak to my boss. My boss, who was also the director of the company didn’t pay heed to what I said, and instead appointed another woman for the same position, who was qualified for other reasons than work. He indirectly suggested if I was willing to do what he wanted, I could have anything. There was no HR department in the firm and I didn’t know where I could complain, so I resigned.”
HR consultant Banhi Dutta stresses that MNCs should have a strict policy formatted regarding sexual harassment. “Men also need to be sensitive towards women. It’s imperative that every employee is aware about this and an organisation gives it due importance. But unfortunately, not all women report such instances, even if they face a situation, they keep it to themselves, so being an HR, we have to struggle to ensure that both women and men feel safe to report matter to us.”
As a woman who’s worked all her life, Anisha Motwani, director and chief marketing officer, Max New York Life says that there are two things a woman expects at her workplace; security and time management. “At Max, we were one of the few organisations to implement this policy in 2005. A four-member committee looks into complaints. This committee is then reviewed by the ethics committee. It’s a well-documented policy available on our employee portal for all employees. Our women employees know what sexual harassment means and how and where they can report it.”