POSH Compliance for Indian Workplaces

Who needs POSH compliance?

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 covers public and private workplaces and protects women whether or not they are employees. Employers with ten or more employees or workers must constitute an Internal Committee. Smaller workplaces still have duties to provide a safe environment; the Local Committee route is relevant where there are fewer than ten workers and for complaints against the employer.

Start with a practical workplace map: offices, factories, branches, people working through contractors, customer visits and work-related travel. A business with several locations should review the committee requirements for each administrative unit instead of assuming one head-office email address is sufficient.

Set up a committee that can do its work

The committee must include a senior woman employee as Presiding Officer, at least two employee members and an eligible external member. At least half of its members must be women. Check eligibility and appointment terms before issuing the written constitution order.

A useful handover includes appointment records, member contact details, role descriptions, a confidential complaint channel and training on fair procedure. HR can support administration, but an HR manager should not replace the committee’s independent role. Conflicts of interest must be addressed when a matter arises.

What your agreed service scope can include

Choose the work your organisation needs rather than buying a generic certificate. The proposal should identify locations, employee groups, languages, sessions and reporting responsibilities. Any external-member engagement must be separately agreed and documented.

• Review of the existing policy and a gap list with responsible owners.
• Policy drafting or updates, complaint-channel wording and workplace display material.
• Committee constitution and appointment documentation support.
• Employee awareness and committee orientation with attendance records.
• Annual reporting preparation, records checklist and a handover calendar.

Make training easy to understand

Use everyday examples: an unwelcome remark during a client visit, inappropriate messages in a work group or pressure linked to a promotion. Explain whom a person can contact, what information helps, and how confidentiality is handled. Use short English or Hindi explanations according to the workforce; assess other local-language needs before the session.

For example, an illustrative 18-person sales office may need a policy review, a properly constituted committee and awareness sessions for field staff. Training only the office team leaves a practical gap when employees travel to customer premises. This example describes planning, not a past LIQUETAX client result.

Reporting and records

Keep training attendance, communication copies, appointment orders and reporting inputs organised throughout the year. Prepare the committee’s annual reporting in the prescribed format and confirm the relevant District Officer’s submission route and instructions. Complaint-related records require restricted access; ordinary shared folders and public website uploads are unsuitable.

An annual compliance review should also check whether members have changed, contact details still work and new joiners received awareness information. A year with no complaints is not evidence that preventive work can be skipped.

Fees, timing and scope limits

Request a written quotation in ₹ separating policy work, training sessions, travel, external-member engagement and reporting support. GST, where applicable, should be stated separately. There is no single nationwide POSH package price that fits every workplace.

Preparation time depends on the number of sites, availability of suitable committee members, current records and training schedules. A setup engagement does not include resolving a complaint, deciding findings, litigation or an unlimited external-member retainer unless expressly agreed. A policy or workshop cannot guarantee that misconduct will never occur.

Start with a workplace review

Share your location, headcount, existing policy status and preferred training language through our enquiry page. Please do not include names or details of a live complaint in the public enquiry. We can define the administrative support required and identify matters needing a separate confidential professional engagement.

How LIQUETAX can help

1. Map workplaces

   Identify locations, workers and existing arrangements.

2. Check gaps

   Review policy, committee eligibility and communication.

3. Prepare documents

   Agree and complete policies and appointment records.

4. Train teams

   Explain prevention, reporting and fair procedure.

5. Maintain records

   Keep reporting inputs and review responsibilities current.

Your questions, answered