| SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES
»
Zero tolerance
policy
»
No employee shall promise, imply or grant any preferential treatment
for engaging in sexual conduct
»
Employees to
bring matter to the attention of their supervisor, any member of
the Human Resource Department, or any senior manager of the company
»
The company
to promptly investigate any allegations in as confidential a manner
as possible and take appropriate corrective action
»
Any employee
utilising the complaint procedure will be treated courteously. A
person knowingly making a false claim shall also be subject to disciplinary
action
SPECTRAMIND
»
Measures shall
be taken to avoid, eliminate and if necessary impose punishment
for any act of sexual harassment, which includes unwelcome sexual
behaviour
HUGHES ESCORTS COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED
»
Sexual Harassment
may include sexually oriented "kidding" or "teasing",
"practical jokes," even comments on gender specific traits
»
Employees are strongly urged to notify
their supervisor, and if appropriate, to contact Chief of Ethics/HRD
GILLETTE
»
Sexual harassment
includes quid pro quo (this for that) favours and the creation of
a hostile environment
»
All supervisors and managers are responsible
for ensuring that the workplace environment is free of sexual harassment
CITIGROUP
»
If employees
believe they are being subjected to harassment or unwelcome behavior,
they may use the employee hotline numbers that have been established
for this purpose by their business organisation. These numbers may
be found in each business' Employee Handbook or other business publications
»
Citigroup prohibits sexual or any other
kind of harassment or intimidation, whether committed by or against
a supervisor, co-worker, customer, vendor, or visitor
BHARTI TELENET
»
Policy applicable
to all allegations made against an employee or a third party, irrespective
of whether sexual harassment is alleged to have taken place within
or outside company premises
»
If the complaint
is oral, the same shall be put in writing by the recipient and sent
to the president of the company for forwarding to the complaint
committee
»
The complaints
committee will hold a meeting with the complainant within 21 days
of receipt of the complaint
»
The president
of the company will ask for an annual report giving full account
of such activities and forward a copy to the ministry of Human Resource
Development
THE AMERICAN STORY
Indian companies could learn from the way USA
Inc deals with it.
 Even
while Indian companies continue to grapple with the contentious issue
of sexual harassment, corporates in the United States have set a new
benchmark. Paul W. Chellgrren, the Chief Executive Officer of Ashland
Inc, a Kentucky-based infrastructure major, had to step down, not
because he violated the company's stringent sexual harassment policy.
Instead, he was hounded out as he had violated another of the company's
policies that bans the dating of subordinates, even if they voluntarily
comply.
Under US laws sexual harassment is a form of
sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964.
With the US Federal government making it mandatory,
every company has a clear sexual harassment policy in place. Atlanta-based
Coca-Cola defines harassment widely to encompasses "a range
of physical or verbal behavior, including e-mail, voicemail messages,
and can include, but is not limited to, sexual or ethnic comments
or jokes, inappropriate written or pictorial (graphic) materials,
discriminatory remarks, religious slurs, racial insults, and sexual
advances" that can create a hostile work environment.
Once a charge has been filed, the Human Resources
Department is expected to conduct an immediate investigation, while
ensuring privacy of all individuals involved. And, in case the investigation
substantiates the charges, then appropriate corrective action -
including a possible termination of services - follows.
These tough rules notwithstanding, estimates
suggest 80 per cent of working women and 15 per cent of their male
counterparts in USA Inc. have experienced sexual harassment at work.
-Anil Padmanabhan in New York
1
2
|
