- 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.