What Happens to Women Harassed at Workplace - Just Physical Injury or A Deep Sense of some Deathless Shame?

"What is inflicted on Women harassed at Workplace is not just Physical Injury but a deep Sense of some Deathless Shame Forever."

PoSH Case Study For Remedy:

Nimmo* and Nindro*, ambitious Twins from a nondescript small town in India, dreamt of growing in their Careers as Engineers in a Big Metro Town. Their Dreams took wings from their Government School in adolescent days. Both, Nimmo and Nindro unhesitatingly shared their ambitions with their supportive Parents, who albeit, were not financially so sound and secure, then.

Nimmo and Nindro, both were quite assertive, and had made up their minds to overcome all challenges and any hardship in their life without ever complaining. (Parents and Elders ought to Groom each of their Girl-Child to Be Assertive and tutor them, without fail.

Nimmo and Nindro groomed and nurtured their “Minds” Not to subscribe to or embrace or uphold largely prevalent, albeit restrictive “Stereotype Thoughts” like that: -

A.  Our Gender is the single most important factor in shaping who we become; and

B.  Our Gender determines “different and distinct experiences” we will be exposed to in our Tomorrows:

 

A Sense of Equality and Gender Sensitivity was deep-rooted in their Character. (Let their Thoughts, immerse all Nimmo and Nindro in our Civil Society)

 Nimmo and Nindro, both prepared very well to qualify in the Entrance Exam for admission in Topmost Engineering Colleges in the Country, and lo and behold, Nimmo and Nindro, both qualified for admission in Mechanical Engineering Course in IIT, where after their Admissions; they left no stone unturned to complete the Degree Course with flying colours.  

 

Nimmo and Nindro were short-listed by more than one Employer in Campus Selections Interviews and Tests and instantaneously offered Employment in Jobs carrying very high Salary. Considering the reputation of One Company with Factory located in the neighborhood of a dream Metro-City, also offering higher salary and other benefits, they accepted the Job-Offer and agreed to Join, as Probationers, within Three Calendar Days.

 For Nimmo and Nindro, all went well for about a month, their proverbial sailing was smooth and almost all Plant Personnel acknowledged their dedication to Production and Maintenance Teams.

 Nindro’s Mobile Phone started ringing with an incoming Call, from an unknown Number, last Monday at about 9. am while she was basking in the Glory of the bright Sunshine, enjoying a welcome additional Off-from-Duty Holiday declared by the Plant Management to Celebrate Holi Festival.

Out of curiosity, Nindro answered the incoming Call, greeting the Caller and enquiring as to who the Caller was. The Caller answered saying he was the Plant Head and was happy to invite her to join him and his entire Team assembled in his Office Cabin to jointly Celebrate Holi Festivities.

Nindro felt quite uneasy as she never had an official occasion to meet with the Caller after she joined the Factory Establishment as an Engineer-Trainee-Probationer, together with her sister Nimmo. As Nindro was hesitating to talk any further, the Caller, almost in enamored requested her again to him for Holi Festivities gathering.

When Nindro politely declined his Invite to come for Holi Celebrations, the Caller pleaded on phone to reconsider her Plant Head’s Special Invite only for her. Nindro unabashedly, stood by her stand and informed the Caller that she never was comfortable with colours nor enjoyed dry or liquid colours which caused to her rashes and itching. The ongoing Call was disconnected by the Caller.

 Nindro received another Call from the same Mobile Number, within Ten minutes of the previous one and she answered it in courtesy. The Caller was the same Person who called her before. This time, the Caller re-introduced himself as the Plant Head and beseeched her to at least Join the gathering playing Holi with Dry Colours known as “Abeer” and “Gulal”.   Nindro seized with suspicion and apprehensions racing through her mind, politely reiterated that Colours were irritants to her. After pleading a few more times, the Plant Head disconnected.

Within minutes, the Plant Head Called Nindro’s Mobile Number and invited her to come over for enjoying “a Glassful of Bhaang”, some sort of narcotic substance consumed by some Holi Revelers, traditionally.

Nindro, in quite resentful and furious mood, replied in negative, bit tersely. The Mobile Call to Nindro’s Mobile Number was disconnected this time by Nindro.  

On the next day, Nindro first signed her “In-Plant-on-Duty” Attendance and proceeded straight to the Plant H R Manger’s Office Cabin, who she had met earlier during her Campus Selection Interviews as also the Day she joined as Probationer. Nindro fearlessly reported the Whole Series of “Unwelcome and Humiliating to her” Incidents and showed to the HR Manager all the Incoming Three Nos Call Records. Promptly, the HR Manager reacted by reconfirming Twice that the Mobile Nos were the Official Mobile No of their Plant Head who was all-in-all for their Plant/Factory for past 20 years and added that she does good to herself to ignore them, forever.    

 Nindro, despite dastardly discouragement from the Plant HR Manager, informed him that she would File a Complaint against the Plant Head, for his ill-intentioned temerity to Call her Three Times on that day when she was neither On-Duty nor at her Workplace and misbehaving with her by making amorous and adventurous Calls amounting to Sexual Harassment meted out to her on the pretext of Holi Celebrations which was absolutely Unwelcome and Humiliating to herself;

Nindro, boldly enquired from the HR Manager as to how come, her Mobile Phone Number, privy to Company’s Records of New Recruits usually kept in Safe Custody of the HR Department, was with the Plant Head in his possession and for whatever malafide purposes; and

The HR Manager fumbled, was speechless first but insolently divulged to her on her repeated requests/ insistence that he, himself (The HR Manager) collected/copied her Mobile No from her Confidential Personal Record and shared her Mobile No with the Plant Head, under reference, at his behest only.

Nindro, “questioned” the Plant H R Manager if he had also copied the Mobile No of her Twin-Sister Nimmo and got shell-shocked and in deep agony upon his affirmation.  

 Nindro and Nimmo, both Filed, on the following day their individual and separate Complaints, alleging Sexual Harassment by the said Plant Head; personally submitted to the Plant HR Manager in his Office Cabi and obtained his Receipt Acknowledgement with Date and Time, on the Personal Copies of their separate Complaints.

Nindro and Nimmo, both, Forewarned the Plant HR Manager that they shall not Brooke any attempts to silence them and or to Trivialize their Complaints,

When Nindro and Nimmo asked for the Names and Contact Telephone Nos and Email id of the Internal Committee Presiding Officer and Other Members, the Plant H R Manager evaded, then informed them that their Workplace Establishment had No Internal Committee in place for Redressal of a Sexual Harassment Complaints filed.

1.     What would you Do if it all happened to you or with You, as it were?

2.     What Action-Steps you Suggest should be initiated in this case in point and by Whom?

 Your valuable Comments and Feedback are Most Welcome by us Kritarth Team of Spl Educators PoSH Mandatory Workshops to be organized by all Employers in India., Any of your Questions/ Queries shall be fully answered /clarified to your satisfaction, by return email.

 

Harsh Kumar Sharan,

XLRI Jamshedpur Alumnus- 1967-69 PMIR Batch

Founder-Director Kritarth Consulting Pvt Ltd.
Spl Educator PoSH Mandatory Programs.
Serving Member (External) on 60 plus Internal Committees PAN India.
Domestic Inquiry Specialist- Available on a Freelance basis

Contact : hksharan@kritarth.in , hksharan@gmail.com, shakti@kritarth.in

My Mobile:  9560453 756/ 8105826053

February 7th, 2024., being reposted from another dormant Blog Page Name “PoSH Case Studies.

* (Nimmo and Nindro are Fiction Names and Characters carved, crafted and created by Harsh Kumar Sharan, Author of this Blog on behalf of Kritarth Consulting Pvt Ltd and are Sole Proprietary Text Material of Kritarth Consulting Pvt Ltd and not to be used or quoted in whatever manner without prior written permission of the Sole Proprietor)