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    #MeToo Impact on corporate India: Women executives more confident but cautious

    Synopsis

    Women executives see #Me-Too as a platform to speak up about their experiences, and believe they are more likely to be heard now.

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    Female executives feel that the movement will deter at least some future harassers, because of the fear that they may be called out in public.
    NEW DELHI | KOLKATA: As #Me-Too forces India Inc to take a more substantive approach to workplace sexual harassment, women in the corporate world feel more empowered but remain cautious at the same time.

    “Finally”— that’s what many women executives ET spoke with said, referring to companies promising sterner responses to old and new cases. But they also wonder whether the change will be permanent once #MeToo loses its current potency.

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    Women executives see #Me-Too as a platform to speak up about their experiences, and believe they are more likely to be heard now. They also feel it will deter at least some future harassers, because of the fear that they may be called out in public.

    “Despite a strong law to prevent sexual harassment, we never had real conversations. It was hush-hush. Now that has changed and conversations are taking place across workplaces,” says Sairee Chahal, founder CEO, SHEROES, a womenonly communities platform.

    Some like Archana Bisht, director at 1 to 1 help.net, a professional counselling and wellness services firm, see a tremendous shift. “This focus has given a lot of courage to women, especially to those who have been harassed by people in powerful positions. But this is just the beginning. A lot needs to be done.”

    A mid-level manager in a startup recounted how difficult it has been for her colleagues to report bullying and harassment in past and present organisations. “It takes a lot of courage to speak up as you may not get the support from your managers. Women are scared to be labelled as trouble-makers if they do complain. Now with so many women raising their voice, it gives a ray of hope.”

    More courage to open up will follow concrete action on reported cases. Says Suruchi Wagh, chief product officer, Jombay: “The more action is taken on cases that have been named, the more empowered women will feel.” Complykaro, which specialises in prevention of sexual harassment (PoSH) compliance, conducted an employee sensitisation workshop for an entertainment company soon after the #MeToo movement exploded on social media in India.

    Vishal Kedia, director of Complykaro, said that all employees present at the workshop — many of them women —felt that fear among male employees would now increase dramatically. At the same time, there were concerns that it could be misused. “They felt that whoever has come forward should try to prove it and take legal recourse. Whether it’s an internal committee or court, women should pursue their right to justice,” said Kedia.

    An executive who had complained about her harasser said the internal committee hadn’t been supportive and she wasn’t happy with the way things were handled. The committee had tried to dissuade her about pursuing the case, she said. But now, she says, “my hope is that committees will become more vigilant because they would be scared of bad press”.

    Another employee, harassed during her stint at an Indian financial services major, said when she and some of her colleagues reported lewd comments made to them, the ‘boys club’ came down hard. The women found themselves picked on by bosses about trivial issues. Some resigned just to get out.“It will take a long time for things on the ground to change,” this woman executive said. “Managements need to become much more sensitive.” Also, for the change to take root, people need it to see action being taken all around, with friends, colleagues coming forward. “That will instill confidence that there is merit in taking it forward”, said Wagh.

    Rituparna Chakraborty, co-founder of TeamLease Services, argues companies should steer clear of hiring anyone around whom there are such allegations, no matter how brilliant the person is. “We also need to think about a grievance redressal handling mechanism beyond the ICC (internal complaints committee). There have been instances where people have approached the ICC and have been dissuaded. In that case, there are alternatives that need to be thought of,” she said. But the real test, all these women professionals said, is months down the line when #MeToo may not be in headlines. Will offenders be punished and victims protected?


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