POSH Act

Comprehending the POSH Act 2013: An All-Inclusive Manual for Occupational Safety

Maintaining workplace safety is essential to creating a respectful, upbeat, and productive atmosphere. The Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act is a crucial piece of legislation in India that aims to protect workers’ safety and dignity—especially that of women—in the workplace. This in-depth manual seeks to clarify the main points of the POSH Act and its role in improving workplace safety.

Overview of the POSH Act

2013 saw the enactment of the POSH Act, also known as the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act. It aims to shield female employees from sexual harassment at work and to offer a complaint resolution process. The Supreme Court of India’s 1997 Vishaka Guidelines, which emphasized the necessity of law to stop sexual harassment in the workplace, served as the foundation for the Act.

Important Clauses of the POSH Act

1. Sexual Harassment Definition

Sexual harassment is defined by the POSH Act as a broad range of unwanted acts or behavior (directly or indirectly), including advances and physical contact, requests or demands for sexual favors, sexually suggestive comments, the display of pornography, and any other unwanted physical, verbal, or nonverbal behavior of a sexual nature.

2. The Act’s Scope

The POSH Act applies to both the organized and unorganized sectors and protects all women, regardless of age or job position, whether they work directly or indirectly. It comprises regular workers, contract workers, ad hoc workers, trainees, interns, and even those who drop by the office.

3. Committee for Internal Complaints (ICC)

It is required for each organization with more than ten employees to set up an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in each branch or office. This provision guarantees a formal, structured procedure for handling complaints about harassment and discrimination in the workplace. The ICC is in charge of receiving employee complaints, looking into them thoroughly, and suggesting suitable measures to be taken against violators. This committee is essential to preserving organizational integrity, guaranteeing adherence to legal and ethical requirements, and preserving a respectful and safe work environment..

4. The LCC or Local Complaints Committee

The Act requires the District Officer to form a Local Complaints Committee (LCC) for workplaces with less than 10 employees or when the complaint is directed towards the employer. This guarantees that the POSH Act applies to every workplace.

5. Know the Difference

It’s critical to understand the differences between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). The latter is an international court that hears cases against defendants for crimes like crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. It is situated in The Hague, Netherlands. The International Criminal Court has worldwide jurisdiction and resolves serious international crimes, in contrast to the organizational ICC, which deals with internal workplace disputes. Despite the fact that they both use the abbreviation “ICC” and engage in investigative procedures, their responsibilities, purviews, and functions differ significantly.

6. The Process of Complaint and Redress

A detailed procedure for submitting complaints is outlined in the POSH Act and it must to be completed in writing within three months of the incident. The employer or District Officer must receive the report from the ICC within 90 days of the investigation’s conclusion, and they have 60 days to implement the recommendations.

7. Secrecy

The POSH Act places a strong emphasis on maintaining secrecy throughout the complaint process, from filing to inquiry to suggestion implementation, in order to safeguard the complainant’s privacy and dignity.

Interesting Insights into POSH:

The Act, which went into force on December 9, 2013, aims to shield women against sexual harassment at work and offers procedures for filing complaints and seeking remedies if such an instance occurs. Employers’ obligations in this regard are outlined in the POSH Act, which includes disclosing complaint data in yearly reports.

Furthermore, the Securities and Exchange Board of India required all listed businesses to provide information on sexual harassment allegations in their annual reports starting in 2018.

The requirement for data pertaining to the Act’s execution to be disclosed is a useful addition to the legislation. It can facilitate efficient monitoring of the effectiveness of the law and act as a significant accountability mechanism.

Nevertheless, almost ten years later, there is still no publicly accessible database that compiles information from various employers and businesses. Finding trends and patterns across the sector is tough since the data is still dispersed over different business reports and frequently presented in unintuitive ways.

Stunning Statistics:

Together, the focal companies reported 161 cases in FY 2013–14, the first year the POSH Act went into effect. In a year, this figure shot up to 465.

The figures increased in every year that followed until the first year of the COVID-19 epidemic, FY 2020–21. Across the 300 companies, 586 incidents were reported overall, down from 961 cases in the previous year.

In FY 2021–2022, this number gradually rose to 767; the next year, it surged by 51.2% to 1,160. About 109 accusations of sexual harassment were settled against these companies in FY 2013–14. In FY 2014–15, this increased to 406.

But the number of instances that have been settled has generally lagged behind the number of complaints over time. In FY 2016–17, 2.1% fewer complaints were addressed than the previous year, despite a 12.9% increase in the number of reported instances.

In a similar vein, after FY 2020–21, the first year of the pandemic, the number of complaints increased dramatically, but the number of instances that were successfully resolved fell short.

Advantages of the POSH Law

POSH Act’s implementation offers the following advantages:

Establishes a Safe Work Environment:

It promotes a courteous and safe work environment, which is critical for both the health of employees and the organization’s general output.

Promotes Reporting:

The Act promotes victims’ coming forward without fear of reprisal by offering a transparent process for remedy.

Increases Awareness:

Consistent training and sensitization initiatives required by the Act increase knowledge of what sexual harassment is and how to stop these kinds of situations.

Assures Accountability:

The Act makes businesses responsible for maintaining a secure workplace and handling grievances in a timely and efficient manner.

GetifyHR and Safety at Work

We at GetifyHR recognize the value of a polite and safe work environment. Being a top supplier of payroll outsourcing services, we guarantee quick and accurate payroll processing in addition to providing complete compliance management solutions, which include POSH Act compliance. Our knowledgeable staff helps businesses establish Internal Complaints Committees, provide training programs, and make sure the Act’s legal requirements are met.

Organizations that engage with GetifyHR may concentrate on their main business operations while we handle their payroll and compliance requirements, guaranteeing a secure and law-abiding environment.

In summary

One important piece of law that attempts to give women a safe and respectable place to work is the POSH Act. Comprehending and executing the POSH Act’s provisions is not only legally required but also an ethical duty for all establishments. Establishing a respectful and safe culture can help firms increase employee happiness, lower attrition, and boost overall productivity.

GetifyHR is dedicated to assisting businesses diligently in their efforts to establish a secure and legal workplace. With our proficiency in compliance and payroll outsourcing services, we assist companies in managing the intricacies of labor regulations and guarantee POSH Act compliance. By working together, we can create a workplace where everyone is valued, respected, and feels safe.

Payroll Outsourcing Benefits

Payroll Outsourcing Benefits for Start-ups – a Comprehensive Guide.

India is witnessing an exhilarating growth trajectory when it comes to start-ups. From a lowly position, it has now jumped to the number three position in the world, after the USA and China, for the number of unicorns it has to date. The biggest challenge faced by start-ups today is finding the right talent for core business activities and HR-related services like Payroll processing and Compliance issues.

Payroll processing and HR management are amongst the most critical aspects that demand a high degree of efficiency. Handling these critical aspects internally is not only time-consuming but is also prone to errors that will negatively affect the success and growth of the new venture. The primary aim of the start-up is to focus on their core business activities and all their efforts would be channeled to achieve this. Inevitably, HR-related services like Payroll Processing and Statutory Compliance management take the back seat and this may prove to be a mistake in the long run. It is, therefore, advisable to outsource the payroll process to an external agency as it offers a wide range of benefits that could propel growth. In this article, we delve into the benefits of outsourcing the Payroll process to an established service provider.

In-house Payroll processing and its challenges

Payroll processing and Statutory Compliance are highly complex operations that require a high degree of expertise. Handling employee data and their work performance, and maintaining the contributions towards EPF, ESI, Professional Tax, Labour Welfare Fund, Insurance, and TDS payments requires a team that is highly efficient and always in the know of the changes in rules and regulations. For a start-up, handling these complex and rather critical operations in-house can be a huge burden and highly challenging.

Drain on Valuable time:

Manual processing of the Payroll which includes calculating salaries, deductions, taxes, generating payslips, and filing returns is a time-consuming and tedious process. The valuable time that is spent on these operations can be gainfully spent on core business activities that are critical for growth. Acquiring full-fledged customized Payroll software to handle this process is not also an ideal solution as it may not be able to handle frequent changes in the statutory rules and regulations.

Non-compliance with Statutory Rules and Regulations:

Complying with all the statutory rules and regulations requires in-depth knowledge and the ability to implement changes as and when they occur. Deductions towards EPF, ESI, Professional Tax, and Labour Welfare Fund have to be very accurately maintained to avoid penalties and legal issues. Managing these and TDS calculations is a challenging job and performing these in-house increases the risk of non-compliance due to lack of expertise or oversight.

Lack of Expertise:

During the early stage of growth, start-ups operate with a lean team as they may not have the resources to hire a dedicated HR team possessing specialized payroll expertise. This may lead to a lack of proper working knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of Payroll processing and statutory compliance, thus increasing the risk of errors leading to non-compliance.

Challenges of Scalability:

The growth of a start-up is indicated by the addition of new employees, the onboarding of freelancers, or expansion to new locations. Managing the complex Payroll and statutory requirements in-house during this growth phase can become increasingly difficult. This would necessitate the employment of additional experts who may not be readily available, thus hindering the ability to scale efficiently. An in-house payroll system may not be able to adapt to the changes in rules and regulations thus creating a bottleneck and hindering growth.

Benefits of Outsourcing Payroll and HR Management

The main aim of a start-up is to focus on its core business activity; therefore, outsourcing the Payroll process to an external agency is a prudent financial move that offers multiple benefits. Some of these benefits are:

1.  Cost Saving

Most Start-ups normally begin their journey with limited resources and every rupee that is invested has to be spent with prudence. Cost cutting is a wise and effective move, and one decision that would help in cost saving is outsourcing the Payroll process. In doing so, you can significantly reduce operational costs by eliminating the need to maintain an in-house payroll department. Instead of hiring and training employees to specialize in payroll processing, investing in expensive software and hardware, or spending on regular updates, start-ups can outsource payroll to experienced service providers to achieve the task at a fraction of the cost. This will enable the start-ups to strategically allocate their financial resources toward product development and marketing activities to propel growth.

2.  Efficient Time management

Efficient management of time is essential for growth. By outsourcing the payroll process, start-ups can free valuable time. Payroll processing is a complex and time-consuming operation that requires meticulous attention to detail. By outsourcing this process you will be able to streamline the entire operation, which in turn will enhance productivity.

3.  Statutory Compliance risks

Being compliant with all the statutory rules and regulations is vital for the growth and success of the start-up. These rules and regulations are prone to frequent changes and it is important that companies keep themselves abreast of all such changes. By outsourcing Payroll processing you can avoid these pitfalls as the service provider would be fully equipped to take care of such issues, thus keeping the company fully compliant, always.

4.  Scalability

As the start-up grows, there will be an increase in the number of employees and the number of locations where the company operates. This will increase the complexity of payroll processing. An in-house payroll system may struggle to adapt to these changes resulting in inefficient handling of the payroll that will spoil the reputation of the company and curtail its growth. However, by outsourcing the process to an experienced service provider, you will be able to adapt to the increasing needs thus ensuring seamless scalability without compromising on accuracy.

5.  Data Security and Confidentiality

Employee data is vital and sensitive data that has to be maintained with a high degree of security and confidentiality. Start-ups must prioritize data security to protect the privacy of their employees and take full responsibility for its security and confidentiality. When this operation is performed in-house there is a greater chance of this vital data being tampered with. This can be fully avoided when you outsource as experienced service providers employ robust security measures like data encryption, firewalls, and efficient access controls to safeguard this vital and sensitive data.

6.  Access to Advanced Technology

Service Providers utilize cutting-edge technology to handle the Payroll process. With their ability to upgrade the system in tune with the growing technology, they will be able to provide their clients access to highly sophisticated systems that enhance accuracy and efficiency, thus drastically reducing the likelihood of costly errors.

7.  Frees the HR team

When you outsource payroll, you are actually freeing your HR team from a mundane task and allowing them to focus on core business activities. The complexity of payroll processing and statutory requirements would impose huge pressure on the HR team. This can be fully avoided by outsourcing the payroll and this enables the start-up to achieve its target smoothly.

How to choose your Service Provider?

Choosing the right Service Provider to handle your Payroll and HR Management is vital as any mistake would adversely affect your business growth. Some of the important points that you have to consider while choosing a service provider are provided below:

Access your Business needs

Make a full assessment of your requirements so that you are aware of the features relevant to your needs. Your budget for payroll service will depend on the outcome of this assessment.

Type of Outsourcer you require

The whole idea behind outsourcing Payroll and HR management is to fully automate and integrate the system so that the entire process is streamlined and can be handled without the usual stress that comes with the process. A managed payroll system runs your payroll accurately and on time, calculates the deductions towards EPF, ESI, PF, and LWF, calculates the taxes, and generates the Payslips. On the other hand, a fully outsourced module takes care of every aspect of payroll as mentioned above, but also supports your employees with all their payroll needs. You have to make the choice.

Integration of Modules

If you are looking for total integration, then you have to choose a service provider that supports a payroll module that integrates with the accounting module. This can fully automate both your accounting module and payroll module thereby improving functionality and enhancing the working of the business.

Pricing

Pricing is an important factor when you choose the service provider. The cost of service varies in accordance with the features they offer. Most payroll service providers charge a flat rate every month or for a pay period. Choose what is suitable for you.

Compliance

Payroll processing is subject to local laws and these rules and regulations may vary from state to state. It is, therefore, essential to assess whether the service provider is capable of complying with all relevant rules and regulations. Find out whether the provider has a thorough understanding of the country’s tax laws, labor laws, and other laws. Contact other businesses that have used the services of the outsourcer to get an idea of the level of compliance they maintain.

24/7 Support

When choosing a payroll service provider, it is essential that you take into account the kind of customer support and other services that they offer. Look for providers that offer support 24/7, and have dedicated personnel to support and train.

Scalability

Your business may grow over time, and it is essential that you choose a service provider that can scale according to the changing needs. Look for a service provider that offers scalability with the ability to customize as per the changing needs of your business.

Conclusion

Every start-up has to pay their employees consistently on time. For this to happen, the payroll module has to work accurately and consistently. If the payroll is managed in-house this process is going to take a lot of time and effort. Even if you generate the payslips without errors, handling them in-house may not be the most efficient way to use your time and money.

However, outsourcing the Payroll process and Statutory Compliance requirements to a service provider can provide significant advantages as it offers cost savings, efficient time management, full compliance, data security and confidentiality, scalability, and access to high-end technology. By outsourcing to an experienced service provider, start-ups focus on their core business activities, drive innovation, and achieve sustainable growth and success. Simply put, payroll outsourcing is a vibrant financial move that allows start-ups to blossom in today’s competitive market.

GetifyHR is a leading outsourcer of Payroll processing and HR Management in the country. We have assisted clients across the country to streamline the Payroll process and achieve full compliance with all statutory rules and regulations. As a start-up, you would be in a position to efficiently and accurately handle all your Payroll and Statutory Compliance requirements by associating with us. We assure you of a smooth and hassle-free journey towards growth.