Free tool · 5 minutes · 25 questions

POSH Compliance Health Check

Your POSH file may be perfectly compliant. Your workplace might not be. A policy, an Internal Committee and annual training are the visible half — the rest only becomes apparent when somebody asks to see the evidence.

This health check scores your readiness across five weighted areas of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and shows you which area to fix first.

“We have POSH” and “we are POSH-ready” are two different statements. This tool is built to tell you which one is true for your organisation.
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About you and your organisation

Not scored — used to contextualise your report.

The Act provides for IC constitution across different offices and administrative units.

Workplace applicability & IC constitution

Weight 25%

The Act requires written constitution of the Internal Committee, specifies its composition, and contemplates constitution across applicable administrative units and offices.

  1. 1. Have your offices, branches and other applicable workplaces been mapped for POSH applicability?
  2. 2. Have the workplaces, locations or branches where an Internal Committee is required been identified?
  3. 3. Has the Internal Committee been formally constituted through a written order?
  4. 4. Does the IC currently have the required composition, including an eligible Presiding Officer, employee members and an external member?
  5. 5. Are the IC appointments, member details and tenure properly documented and current?
  6. 6. Are the names and contact details of IC members communicated or displayed as required?

Policy, visibility & employee awareness

Weight 20%

The employer's statutory duties include displaying the penal consequences and the IC order, and organising employee awareness programmes at regular intervals.

  1. 1. Does your organisation have a current POSH policy?
  2. 2. Can employees easily access the POSH policy?
  3. 3. Does the organisation communicate the mechanism for reporting a complaint to employees?
  4. 4. Are the required workplace displays and notices in place at applicable locations?
  5. 5. Are POSH awareness programmes conducted for employees at regular intervals?
  6. 6. Is POSH awareness included in your employee onboarding process?

IC capability & training

Weight 20%

The POSH Rules specifically contemplate orientation programmes, employee awareness programmes and capacity or skill-building programmes for IC members.

  1. 1. Have all current IC members received orientation on the POSH Act and Rules?
  2. 2. Has the IC received practical training on handling complaints and conducting inquiries?
  3. 3. Does the IC understand the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness?
  4. 4. Does the IC understand confidentiality requirements?
  5. 5. Does the IC have access to appropriate inquiry process templates and documentation formats?

Complaint & inquiry readiness

Weight 20%

Employer duties extend beyond constituting an IC — the Act also requires providing the facilities and support needed to deal with complaints and conduct inquiries.

  1. 1. Is there a clearly defined mechanism through which a complaint can be received?
  2. 2. Does the IC have a documented process for handling a complaint from receipt through inquiry to final report?
  3. 3. Does the organisation have a process for maintaining confidentiality during the complaint and inquiry process?
  4. 4. Are complaint, inquiry and related records securely maintained with controlled access?
  5. 5. Does the organisation have a mechanism to provide the IC with the facilities and support required to conduct an inquiry?

Reporting & governance

Weight 15%

The Act requires the IC or Local Committee to prepare an annual report each calendar year and submit it to the employer and the District Officer; the Rules specify what it must contain.

  1. 1. Does your organisation maintain the information required for the IC's annual report?
  2. 2. Is the annual POSH reporting process formally tracked and completed?
  3. 3. Does management periodically review POSH compliance and outstanding gaps?

Your biggest POSH concern

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Frequently asked questions

What is POSH compliance?

POSH compliance means meeting the employer obligations under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 — principally constituting an Internal Committee by written order, having and publicising a policy, running awareness programmes at regular intervals, displaying the required notices, supporting the IC during an inquiry, and filing the annual report.

Is the POSH Act applicable to men?

The Act as drafted protects women at the workplace. Many Indian employers nonetheless extend an equivalent, gender-neutral anti-harassment policy to all employees as a matter of internal policy — but that extension does not replace the statutory POSH framework, which must still be constituted and reported on as the Act requires.

Is the POSH Act gender neutral?

No. The statute is framed to protect women at the workplace. Employers who want a gender-neutral standard usually run a separate internal policy alongside their POSH framework rather than merging the two, so that the statutory obligations and timelines remain clearly identifiable.

What is a POSH committee?

The Internal Committee (IC) is the body an employer must constitute by written order to receive and inquire into complaints. Its composition is specified by the Act and includes a Presiding Officer who is a woman employed at a senior level, employee members, and an external member from an NGO or association familiar with the issues.

When is a POSH Internal Committee required at each location?

The Act contemplates constitution of an IC at applicable offices and administrative units, which is why organisations with several branches often need more than one committee. Mapping which locations require their own IC is the first question in this health check for exactly that reason.

What goes into the POSH annual report?

The IC prepares an annual report for each calendar year and submits it to the employer and the District Officer. The Rules specify the contents, which cover matters such as the number of complaints received and disposed of, cases pending, and the workshops or awareness programmes carried out.

How long does this POSH health check take?

About five minutes. It is 25 questions across five weighted areas, and you get your readiness score and a domain-by-domain breakdown on screen as soon as you submit.

Related reading

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