![MeToo at work](https://img.etimg.com/thumb/msid-66654107,width-650,height-488,imgsize-524202,resizemode-75/metoo-at-work.jpg)
With allegations of sexual harassment at the highest echelons shaking up corporate India, leadership teams are leaving no stone unturned to ensure they are complaint with the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Work Place Laws (POSH).
Companies such as Standard Charted, Morgan Stanley, Accenture and some multinational consultancies have even brought out new policies on workplace conduct, including having romantic relationships at workplace, industry insiders said.
Some of these companies are forbidding romantic relationships between a senior employee and their subordinate as this can be seen as abuse of power and exploitation of a subordinate. Even in cases of relationships between colleagues of same level, companies are asking such couples to make a disclosure to the human resource department of their relationship.
Morgan Stanley did not want to participate in the story while Accenture and Standard Chartered did not respond to email sent by ET as of press time Wednesday.
Companies are also busy taking action against the offenders.
Chief operating officer with one of the top 10 listed companies was sacked by his organisation after an investigation by a forensic firm discovered that the COO was dating two of his junior colleagues, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said.
“He was a star performer, and so he would get away initially, but after the #MeToo movement, the company did not want to take any risk,” the source told ET.
As men in powerful position are being called out in the #MeToo movement (the latest being the ouster of Flipkart founder Binny Bansal), the top leadership see reputation and possible financial risk to having an unsafe workplace environment.
Until a few months ago, leaders did not care about the age group of the employees in their organisation or the personal lives of their employees, Pareek said. Now the same leaders are concerned about having younger crowd and the possibility of office becoming an avenue for personal romantic associations.
![MeToo MeToo](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
“It is good to see that such conscious leaders are now able to see the possible avenues where there are higher risks of sexual harassment incidents (office parties, out of office engagements, networking activities, interview and hiring, office relationships) and designing preventive roadblocks for them,” Pareek told ET. “While some are taking the hard shot and completely banning such things, others are taking baby steps,” she said.
Consultants said companies are now proactively asking employees to come to them with complaints and are ready to invest time and money towards addressing them, instead of reading them on social media.
Some Absurd Practices Too
While most measures seem progressive, some leaders have also adopted what seems to be absurd practices, such as attempts to ban workplace dating, in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
CEO of a multinational said he never calls a female colleague inside his cabin alone these days. “Every time a female colleague has to come to my cabin, under some pretext I call at least one male colleague,” he told ET on condition of anonymity. “One can’t go around making this a policy but I have advised many of my team leaders to do the same.”
![MeToo MeToo](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
External consultants said this is an example of a kneejerk reaction to the #MeToo movement.
“Attempts to regulate workplace dating and romances may be a knee-jerk reaction, as it is key to remember that contractual relationship agreements may not be legally binding, and so, employers cannot escape their responsibility as per the law, should a sexual harassment complaint arise out of said relationship,” said Hemangini Kalra, an independent lawyer from Bengaluru who advises startups on the POSH law.
The best way to go about it is having a disclosure policy at least for relationships between superiors and subordinates, so that a transfer or change in reporting structure can be initiated when it is disclosed, to avoid a potential instance of exploitation, she said.
“Companies need not be concerned that a conversation on this issue will hamper a collegial workplace environment or workplace bonhomie”, Kalra told ET. At its core, the law codifies civility, and any measures put in place to ensure a safe workplace that is free from discrimination, harassment and uncomfortable situations for all employees, would be very welcome, she said. “In fact, they would help serve the crucial purpose of conveying where the line is.”
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