This law defines Sexual harassment broadly as unwelcome physical contact and making "sexually coloured" remarks and includes any behaviour that interferes with a woman's work or creates an intimidating, offensive or hostile work environment for her. Given this broad definition, it is not surprising that sexual harassment comes in many forms. Every employee has a responsibility towards making the workplace safe from Sexual Harassment. 

The following are all examples of sexual harassment as well as measures you can take to handle such occurrences: 

Sunita walked up to her colleague's workstation and was shocked to see a seminude photograph of a well-known supermodel on his desk. When she raised an objection to his displaying the offensive picture, her co-worker turned around and told her it was his personal space and that he could do what he wanted. 

Have nothing off-colour or sexual in nature posted anywhere in an office environment. 

Remember it does not matter whether it is objectionable to you or not, as long as it is considered objectionable by others it constitutes Sexual Harassment. 

Meenakshi was working late to complete a report, Ramesh her colleague came up to her and asked her out to dinner. She refused, but he persisted day after day telling her not to worry it was what everybody did in big cities. Meenakshi felt very harassed but did not know how to deal with it as he had not done anything offensive. 

If you ask a co-worker for a date and are told "No" do not ask repeatedly again. Take No as No.  

No one should be made to feel uncomfortable at work if your behavior is bothering someone else stop that behavior. Likewise, if your co-worker's behavior is bothering you address the problem with the concerned co-worker or report it to the internal complaints committee of your organization. 

Sharad is fond of collecting jokes from the internet and circulating them among friends, some jokes are off-colour and politically incorrect. Barring a few colleagues most seem to enjoy his jokes 

Just because you don't mind a particular behavior doesn't mean others won't. What isn't offensive to one, maybe to another 

What one intends by a statement or action does not determine sexual harassment. It is the person's perception towards who it is directed, is the determining factor.  

Navin is a very friendly person who loves to hug his friends and slap their backs and generally likes to touch people while conversing. After returning from a vacation he met Latha from his office waiting for the lift and in his usual style, to greet her he gave her a hug. Latha was very offended, however, Navin could not understand why such a fuss over a friendly gesture. 

Regarding physical contact - it is each one of our responsibility to acknowledge and respect the other person's wishes regarding physical contact. 

If someone indicates they are not comfortable with a hug or any other physical contact respect their wishes. 

Neerja and Pradeep are coworkers on a team of 7, of which 3 are female Savita, Neerja and Sonal. They find that the team lead is particularly favourable towards Savita and overlooks her faults, they seem to laugh and joke a lot and at the slightest pretext sit close to each other. The other team members also are uncomfortable with their over-friendly behavior. 

If you feel there is favouritism in your department, discuss this with your manager. Your manager may not be aware of how his or her actions are being perceived. 

Be aware of how your workplace friendships may be perceived and affect other co-workers. 

Sriyukta wears a revealing dress to work one of her male colleagues tells her she is looking "Hot and Sexy ". She accepts the compliment very happily but other employees are uncomfortable with the vocabulary being used. 

Anything of a sexual nature is not appropriate in the workplace even if it is welcomed by the receiver. 

As an employee, you have a responsibility to dress and act professionally and be conscious not to encourage sexual responses from others at the workplace. 

Can giving compliments to the opposite sex constitute Sexual Harassment 

Giving Compliments isn't generally Sexual Harassment, but Sexual Harassment is a matter of perception. If the recipient of a comment feels uncomfortable the action should stop. 

Amita‘s Supervisor is attracted to her and tells her that. She is uncomfortable by his remarks but doesn't want to offend her boss or create problems for herself at work 

If you have any kind of authority over others in your workplace you should be careful how you interact with employees. 

Job-related results and performance are the only acceptable expectations an employer can impose. As an employee, if you are not happy with the level of professionalism, it is in your control to state your boundaries and personal discomfort to your superior or even report your supervisor's behaviour to the management. 

Remember Sexual Harassment is illegal and it is our responsibility to end sexual harassment at our workplace. 

If you observe or experience this kind of harassment, do enquire about your company's sexual harassment redressal procedures and the availability of a grievance cell. In case they are not sure what to do, or are unsure if some behaviour can be considered harassment or not, or want to know how you can establish clearer boundaries, you can contact our panel of counsellors and discuss this issue of confidentiality. 

If you would like to discuss this further or need some help or support in this or any other area, our counsellors would be happy to help. 

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