Indian woman’s road to workplace safety: A data-driven stance
Anannya Tayal and M P Karthick
Women’s safety is a concern that we as a nation have grappled with, for centuries. But the conversation gains centre stage only when particularly tragic events such as the sexual assault and death of a female resident doctor on duty, strike media headlines. They make us wonder whether women are truly safe at work, at all? Unsurprisingly, this tragedy is not an isolated case. It is a direct reflection of a larger syndrome that the society suffers from - a serious dearth of workplace safety for women in India. The stark absence of safety has a direct impact on women’s decision to work and thereby on the Female Labour Force Participation Rates (FLFPR) in the country. The evidence for this has been well documented.
A 2021 Global Labour Organization Discussion paper by Tanika Chakraborty and Nafisa Lohawala estimates the impact of fear of violence on female participation rate in the workforce. They report that ‘For every additional crime per 1,000 women in a district, roughly 32 women are deterred from joining the workforce.’ Essentially, women may be discouraged from entering the formal sphere of employment not only by the high rate of crime but also by the possibility of sexual assault. This leads to supply-side participation limitation, or self-censorship.
The National Bar Association, in its survey of over 6,000 employees—the largest conducted in India so far—finds that sexual harassment is prevalent in all job sectors and ranges from making sexual comments to directly asking for sexual favors. It also indicates that most women choose not to file harassment complaints because of the stigma attached, the fear of retribution, lack of awareness about the laws, lack of confidence in the mechanism, and the consequential embarrassment associated with the issue.
Where do Indian workplaces stand, when it comes to safety?
As part of the Close the Gender Gap Initiative, we analyzed POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) and discrimination at workplace complaints reported across 708 NSE-listed firms for FY 23-24. The total POSH complaints filed have increased from 1,807 in FY 22-23 to 2,325 in FY 23-24 (a 29% Y-o-Y increase). This interactive graph below, allows you to explore the trends in number of POSH cases and number of cases pending resolution in each of the NSE sectors.
The graph below indicates that while the rise in number of POSH complaints filed from FY 2022-23 to FY 2023-24 has been 29%, the rise in the number of POSH complaints awaiting resolution across the period is much higher at 67% (more than double). This invites close inspection and the need for prompt resolution.
It is noteworthy to mention that the Services sector has the highest number of POSH cases per 1000 women, followed by Metals and Mining, Construction Materials and Consumer Services sectors. This evidently leans towards the higher susceptibility of employees in field based and manufacturing based roles, towards sexual harassment. In a recent article, the women staff in the forest department of Uttarakhand, reported that they would prefer desk jobs to being on field to prioritize safety.
The graph below showcases the top 5 sectors with the highest number of POSH cases pending for resolution.
Further, data suggests an inverse correlation between organizational size and number of POSH complaints filed. The larger the firm the higher the probability of processes and responsive systems in place to avoid cases of sexual harassment with stringency. The graph below demonstrates this correlation with relevant data from corporates.
Interestingly, as the number of women employees in an organization increase, the number of POSH cases per 1000 women reduces. Can increasing women’s representation in organizations lead to safer work places?
Perhaps, data and trends have long indicated that improving FLFPR will lead to an improvement in women’s safety. It is time we paid attention to this long standing yet pressing problem that demands systemic interventions by organizations. Here are some best practices that can be deployed:
What can organizations do boost workplace safety?
- Educating and sensitizing managers to be careful of their choice of words and behaviors: especially training male colleagues on the same regularly. Training helps inform and guide employees on appropriate ways of addressing and interacting with colleagues, clients and partners.
- Beyond training which is necessary, regular, strong messaging from top leadership is crucial to emphasize zero tolerance for harassment.
- Ensuring access to separate and hygienic washrooms and changing rooms for women working in field based roles and nurses in hospitals. Also, ensuring that designated rest rooms are set up for women doctors and nurses who are required to work long shifts.
- Implementing better security measures, such as surveillance cameras with audio capabilities.
- Providing channels for reporting in local languages to ensure everyone feels comfortable coming forward with complaints.
- Fixed timelines for resolution, for instance 45 days. This highlights the seriousness of how an organization deals with harassment. The POSH mandate is to complete the enquiry in 3 months.
- Introduction of an anonymous digital reporting platform. This tool allows employees to report any issues discreetly, without fear of identification or retaliation.
- Building women alliances or employee resource groups where they come together to openly share their experiences, especially when they might otherwise hesitate to do so.
Some best practices for improving travel-related safety:
- Transportation facilities available from the organization end for women working night shifts and GPS trackers for travel during later hours should be made available.
- Setting up Industrial Housing Facilities. Recently, Foxconn along with the Tamil Nadu government established a housing initiative closer to the manufacturing facilities for 18,720 women, ensuring less commute and safe accommodation.
- Emergency Panic Buttons and emergency helpline number provided in all employee phones that works by notifying an emergency contact, assigned employee, local law enforcement, or security and emergency services.
- Provisions for Remote or Hybrid work for women employees who have longer commute to work, if the nature of the job permits.
- Ensuring women have safe working environment is crucial to improve their economic participation and empower them to be a key driver in India’s economic growth journey. The POSH Act provides a framework, but true change requires employers to take proactive measures and create a culture of respect and accountability.
