Sep 15 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Law on sexual harassment at workplace boosts lawyers' biz
NamrataSingh
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Mumbai:
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Enterprising lawyers and gender equality experts have spotted a business opportunity in the new law against sexual harassment of women at work.With the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act, 2013 raising major concerns about corporate liability and a potential threat to reputation on noncompliance, organizations are turning to the pros.
This new breed of consultants helps companies with gender sensitization training, removal of unconscious biases among employees, and getting a clear understanding of the law — for a stiff fee, of course.
“In-house legal teams and HR may not have the necessary training and understanding to handle cases. Also, these require a lot of time and effort,” said Devika Singh, who found ed Cohere which specializes in issues like sexual harassment and workplace discrimination. Cohere’s client list includes banks, pharmaceutical firms, manufacturers, insurance companies and MNCs.
Nirmala Menon, founder of Interweave, a Bangalorebased consultancy that helps corporates with diversity-inclusion solutions through policy formulation and workshops for employees, says she has been getting requests from corporates to help them do the right thing. Lack of awareness about what consti tutes sexual harassment is the biggest hurdle, she says.
“Gawking, leering, innuendos or dirty jokes are still not seen as harassment,“ says Menon. So, she helps employees understand the nuances. Managers are told to look out for behaviour that could spell trouble later. “If people are cracking off-colour jokes in office, it is better to spot it early and warn them of the risks,“ says Menon.
Rainmaker, an online learning and content firm, has developed an anti-sexual harassment training solu tion called WorkSafe which is a hybrid of online and in-person training.
Given some high-profile cases of sexual harassment (like Phaneesh Murthy and Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka) in the recent past, the dominant fear among organizations is loss of reputation, which can have a bearing on profitability and share prices. Better than tarred reputations and a financial fallout, companies are focusing on prevention.
Which is why Alex sees this as a multi-million dollar opportunity . Depending upon the number of employees a corporate has, myLaw.net charges firms anywhere between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh. Rainmaker has already tied up with 25odd companies and is hopeful of taking the number to 100 by the end of next year.
(With inputs from Sandhya Soman) For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com
This new breed of consultants helps companies with gender sensitization training, removal of unconscious biases among employees, and getting a clear understanding of the law — for a stiff fee, of course.
“In-house legal teams and HR may not have the necessary training and understanding to handle cases. Also, these require a lot of time and effort,” said Devika Singh, who found ed Cohere which specializes in issues like sexual harassment and workplace discrimination. Cohere’s client list includes banks, pharmaceutical firms, manufacturers, insurance companies and MNCs.
Nirmala Menon, founder of Interweave, a Bangalorebased consultancy that helps corporates with diversity-inclusion solutions through policy formulation and workshops for employees, says she has been getting requests from corporates to help them do the right thing. Lack of awareness about what consti tutes sexual harassment is the biggest hurdle, she says.
“Gawking, leering, innuendos or dirty jokes are still not seen as harassment,“ says Menon. So, she helps employees understand the nuances. Managers are told to look out for behaviour that could spell trouble later. “If people are cracking off-colour jokes in office, it is better to spot it early and warn them of the risks,“ says Menon.
Rainmaker, an online learning and content firm, has developed an anti-sexual harassment training solu tion called WorkSafe which is a hybrid of online and in-person training.
Given some high-profile cases of sexual harassment (like Phaneesh Murthy and Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka) in the recent past, the dominant fear among organizations is loss of reputation, which can have a bearing on profitability and share prices. Better than tarred reputations and a financial fallout, companies are focusing on prevention.
Which is why Alex sees this as a multi-million dollar opportunity . Depending upon the number of employees a corporate has, myLaw.net charges firms anywhere between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh. Rainmaker has already tied up with 25odd companies and is hopeful of taking the number to 100 by the end of next year.
(With inputs from Sandhya Soman) For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com
