‘Move beyond symbolic POSH compliance, focus on transforming workplaces’

At the National POSH Conclave and Excellence Awards held in the Capital on Friday, Women and Child Development Secretary Rashmi Singh urged organisations to move beyond symbolic compliance with the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act and focus on transforming workplaces into genuinely safe, gender-sensitive spaces.

Addressing a gathering of corporate leaders, HR professionals, local authorities and legal experts, Singh commended the organisers of the event for sustaining efforts to raise awareness about workplace safety and build capacity to implement the POSH Act meaningfully. “Legislation is only the starting point — the real challenge is to uphold its spirit,” Singh said. “Young girls and women can truly dream of dignified careers only when workplaces ensure prevention, prohibition and redressal of harassment, in letter and spirit.”

Singh said while India’s policies and frameworks for women’s empowerment had evolved steadily, their impact was often undermined by cultural and infrastructural barriers that discouraged women from joining or staying in the workforce. “The soft power of women is still underutilised. If mothers and sisters return home with stories of unsafe public spaces or toxic work cultures, young girls internalise that choosing a career may not be worth it,” she said.

The Secretary underlined the importance of tackling the “triple burden” on working women — juggling household responsibilities, professional duties and societal expectations. She called for supportive workplace policies such as flexible working hours, robust childcare facilities, safe commuting options, and gender-sensitive infrastructure.

“Only when a woman says she feels safe, respected and emotionally secure at work are we doing justice to the POSH Act,” she said. Adding to the discussion, Vishal Bhasin, co-founder of social organisation NoMeansNo, said building a culture of respect must start early.

“POSH education should be introduced in schools. Right now, we are trying to fix workplace behaviour at the last stage — but awareness must begin at the formative stage,” he said.

Bhasin added that a visible improvement could be witnessed in corporate India’s approach over the years, especially among multinational companies and fast-growing startups, which now factor workplace safety into talent attraction and HR strategies.

“Earlier, there were no dedicated budgets for POSH awareness. Today, many companies have proper training calendars, committees and a clear plan to ensure compliance,” he said.

Delhi