How to Plan POSH Training for Your Organisation: A Guide for Employers
POSH & Workplace Respect
Short answer: start with who needs what, not with a date and a vendor. Employees, managers, leaders and Internal Committee members have different responsibilities, so a single session for everyone rarely works. A good plan names the audiences, the purpose, the format and how you will know it happened.
This article is general information, not legal advice.
What the law asks of you
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 asks an employer to organise workshops and awareness programmes at regular intervals to sensitise employees, and to run orientation programmes for Internal Committee members. The Rules also mention circulating an anti-harassment policy and running awareness programmes with forums for dialogue.
The Act does not set a number of sessions a year or a standard syllabus. So the plan is yours to design well, and an inspector, a complainant or your own board is likely to look at whether the training was real and reached the right people, not only whether it was held.
Step 1: Work out your audiences
| Audience | What they mostly need |
|---|---|
| All employees | Clear boundaries, what the policy says, how to raise a concern |
| Managers and team leads | How to respond when someone comes to them, and what not to do |
| Senior leaders | Employer duties, culture, supporting an independent committee |
| Internal Committee members | Their role and how to run a fair, confidential process |
| New joiners | The basics, soon after they start |
| Contract, field and shift staff | A shorter, practical version that fits their working pattern |
Step 2: Decide what you want people to be able to do
"Everyone attends" is a headcount, not an outcome. Better goals sound like: employees can name the reporting route; managers know the first three things to do when a concern is raised; committee members know their role in each stage.
Step 3: Choose the format
Onsite sessions suit groups who benefit from discussion in the room. Live online sessions suit distributed teams, if the batch size is small enough for interaction. Many employers use a mix. See our note on online POSH training.
Step 4: Questions to ask any training provider
- Can the session be customised to our roles, work setting and policy?
- Who will actually deliver it, and what is their background? Please ask to see it.
- How much of the session is discussion and practice, rather than slides?
- How do you handle someone raising a real case in the room?
- What will we receive afterwards, such as attendance and feedback records?
- What do you say about legal questions, and where do you stop and refer us to a lawyer?
- Will you review our policy so that employees learn our process?
Be cautious of anyone who promises "100% compliance", calls their certificate a government approval, or offers a one-size-fits-all deck for every audience.
Step 5: Prepare before the day
- The approved policy and the reporting route
- The names and contact details of Internal Committee members
- A coordinator on your side
- A plan for who is covered, in which language and in which batches
- A way for employees to ask questions without naming anyone
Common mistakes
- One generic session for everyone, including the Internal Committee
- Training only once, years ago, and never refreshed
- Treating it as a tick-box, with attendance recorded but no check on understanding
- Leaving out contract, field or remote staff
- Not telling employees about the actual policy and committee
- Inviting real cases into a group session
Keep a record
Keep the agenda, attendance, any materials, feedback and the date. It shows what you did and helps plan the next round.
Where training helps
If you want a partner to run this with you, see our POSH training programmes for employees, managers and leaders, and IC/ICC Member Training for the committee. To see how ready you are today, use our free POSH Readiness Checklist.
Related reading: POSH Act Compliance Checklist for Indian Workplaces
Information on this website is for training and general awareness. It does not constitute legal advice. Organisations should obtain advice appropriate to their facts and applicable law.
Sources: Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and Rules, 2013 — text of the Act and Rules.