The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act — commonly known as the POSH Act — has been in force since 2013. Yet in 2026, a large number of Indian businesses remain non-compliant. The consequences range from reputational damage to hefty penalties and criminal liability for leadership.
If you have more than 10 employees, compliance is not optional. Here is what you must have in place.
What the POSH Act Requires
Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). Every organisation with 10 or more employees must constitute an Internal Complaints Committee. The ICC must be chaired by a senior woman employee, include at least two members from amongst employees, and an external member from an NGO or association committed to women’s causes. Failure to constitute the ICC is itself an offence.
Written POSH Policy. You must have a clearly documented policy on prevention of sexual harassment — covering the definition of sexual harassment, the complaint procedure, timelines for redressal, and protections for complainants and witnesses.
Mandatory Annual Training. The Act requires that employees are made aware of the policy and their rights. Leadership, managers, and ICC members require more detailed awareness training — including how to receive complaints, conduct enquiries, and maintain confidentiality.
Annual Report. Every ICC must submit an annual report to the employer and the District Officer, covering the number of complaints received, disposed of, and pending.
Common Compliance Gaps We Find
- No ICC constituted, or an ICC that exists on paper but has never been trained
- POSH policy buried in the HR manual with no active communication
- No awareness training conducted in the last 12 months
- ICC members unaware of the enquiry process or timelines
- No annual report submitted
Any one of these gaps creates serious exposure — not just for the organisation, but personally for the employer.
Why POSH Compliance Is Also a Culture Investment
Beyond legal compliance, a well-implemented POSH framework creates a psychologically safer workplace. Employees — particularly women — are more likely to stay, perform, and recommend your organisation when they feel genuinely protected.
Organisations that treat POSH as a box-ticking exercise miss this entirely. The ones that use it as a foundation for building respectful, inclusive workplaces gain a lasting competitive advantage in talent attraction and retention.
How Achievify HR Helps
We help organisations constitute and train their ICC, draft a POSH policy that meets all statutory requirements, design and deliver employee awareness workshops, and set up the annual reporting process. Whether you are implementing POSH for the first time or bringing an existing framework up to standard, we handle it end to end.
Do not wait for a complaint to discover you are non-compliant. 📞 +91 9820 846 856 | www.achievifyhr.com