Anti-Sexual Harassment case studies

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Anti Sexual Harassment
Case Studies
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Scenario 1
Anu, a module lead and her manager Arun had been
going steady for seven months. A month back,
however, Anu realized that Arun may not be the
right person for her and ended their relationship.
Disappointment turned to frustration with Arun
who started using his hierarchical authority to
Anu’s disadvantage. She was excluded from critical
meetings, not nominated for relevant training
programs and singled out for unfair criticism that
left her feeling humiliated in the midst of her
colleagues. Inspite of warning him , Anu found that
Arun’s behaviour did not change. She filed a case of
sexual harassment against him with the HR
department.
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What do you think happened following Anu’s
complaint?
If you were the HR or senior leadership in Anu’s
organization, how would you deal with her
complaint?
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Let us see what happened in Anu’s organization
• HR immediately notified the Internal Complaints Committee
• An internal process of inquiry was initiated by the committee
including questioning of relevant witnesses to the
alleged behaviour of the manager.
• The Committee found enough evidence to substantiate Anu’s
complaint of sexual harassment and recommended immediate
termination of Arun’s employment
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Observations
• The organization took the right steps to act appropriately in
this case.
• HR did the appropriate thing by immediately notifying the
Internal Complaints Committee, instead of trying to mediate a
case that was clearly in the realm of sexual harassment.
• The Committee, subsequent to its impartial investigation,
determined that it was a case of sexual harassment and
recommended the termination of the manager.
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Scenario 2
Niharika, received a promotion due to her superlative performance. This news did not go down
well with her more-experienced peers, who had been vying for the same position and were not
selected. Niharika’s happiness was short-lived as intermittent rumours maligning her character
started reaching her ears. The malicious rumours insinuated that Niharika received her
promotion due to a close relationship with her supervisor Suresh. Niharika had witnesses to
substantiate that the rumours were being spread by her hostile colleagues. Niharika made
earnest efforts to quell the insinuations. Eventually, she talked to her supervisor, Suresh, who
supported her, and both filed a sexual harassment complaint to the HR department.
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What do you think happened following Niharika and
Suresh’s complaint?
If you were the HR or senior leadership in their
organization, how would you deal with their
complaint?
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Let us see what happened in Niharika and
Suresh’s organization
• The HR referred the matter immediately to the Internal
Complaints Committee
• The ICC followed it up with an inquiry which included cross-
questioning of the witnesses. Evidence was collected
regarding the malicious emails that were being circulated in
the office.
• The Committee found enough evidence to substantiate their
complaint of sexual harassment and recommended that the
offenders be terminated from employment with immediate
effect.
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Observations
• The organization/ICC acted in an appropriate manner in
promptly completing the inquiry and gathering relevant
evidence
• The matter was instantly referred to the Internal Complaints
Committee and HR did not attempt to mediate the case,
which had clear overtones of sexual harassment.
• The Committee, after an unbiased investigation of the case,
determined that Suresh and Niharika were victims of sexual
harassment. They found enough evidence to recommend the
termination of the colleagues in question.
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A worker complained to their human resource management department about
harassment. As a result, the worker was subjected to taunts by co-workers and snide
remarks related to the complaint. He was further penalised for making a complaint
when he was excluded from meetings and events that he would normally attend. So he
filed a complaint to the Internal Complaint Committee.
Scenario 3

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What do you think happened following Worker’s
complaint?
If you were the HR or senior leadership in the
organization, how would you deal with the complaint?

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Let us see what happened in the organisation
following the complaint
• An internal process of inquiry was initiated by the committee
including questioning of relevant witnesses to the
alleged behaviour of the co-workers.
• They found enough evidence to recommend the termination
of the colleagues in question.

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Observations
• The committee acted swiftly in conducting the investigations.
• HR did not attempt to mediate the case, which had clear
overtones of sexual harassment.
• The Committee found enough evidence to substantiate their
complaint of sexual harassment and recommended that the
offenders be terminated from employment with immediate
effect.

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Sexual harassment is termed as a violation of human rights
in India and the Supreme Court of India has set out clear
guidelines for employers to redress and prevent sexual
harassment at the workplace
The Law
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