Archive · 31 Aug 2026
Research Finds Workplace Sexual Harassment Awareness Gaps Across India
A group called POSH at Work studied workplace sexual harassment in India.
It published two reports using 103 complaints and 6,353 survey answers.
The reports found that many workers know rules exist but do not always understand how to use them.
Nearly one in four employees did not know their workplace had a POSH policy.
Many employees did not recognize abusive or vulgar language as harassment.
Some employees and managers said they might share details of ongoing complaints, even though such cases should be kept private.
Most complaints involved hostile work environments and happened outside ordinary offices or across both kinds of workplaces.
The researchers said training should help prevent harm, not only deal with it afterward.
POSH at Work released two reports based on 103 complaints and 6,353 survey responses.
Nearly 24.86% of employees were unaware that their organisation had a POSH policy.
About 90.20% of complaints involved hostile work environment harassment rather than explicit quid pro quo situations.
Only 31.07% of complaints involved incidents confined to physical office premises; 43.69% involved extended workplace settings.
Respondents reported confidentiality and disciplinary misconceptions, while respondents were found guilty in 48.04% of cases and complaints were false and malicious in 5.88%.
- Who
- POSH at Work, the workplace sexual-harassment practice of The Legal Swan, led by founder Shivangi Prasad, conducted the research.
- What
- It released two reports examining 103 workplace sexual-harassment complaints and survey responses from 6,353 participants.
- When
- The reports were released on August 31; the complaints analyzed were handled in 2025.
- Where
- The research concerns workplaces across India and was announced from New Delhi.
- Why
- The reports were intended to assess awareness, understanding, and implementation gaps amid increased compliance scrutiny by the National Commission for Women and state governments.
- Reports
- The Quiet Crisis and The Silent Gap
- Complaint sample
- 103 workplace sexual-harassment complaints handled in 2025
- Survey sample
- 6,353 employees, students, managers, Internal Committee members, and trainers
- Policy awareness
- 24.86% of employees did not know their organisation had a POSH policy
- Complaint setting
- 43.69% involved extended workplace settings; 31.07% were confined to physical offices
- Hostile work environment
- 90.20% of complaints involved hostile work environment harassment
- Findings
- Respondents were found guilty in 48.04% of cases; 5.88% were classified as false and malicious