There has been a 40.4% increase in the number of sexual harassment complaints (up to 268) filed during the last fiscal year, shows the latest data from the 30 BSE companies compiled for ET by Complykaro, which advises companies on Elegant compliance.
A total of 932 sexual harassment complaints were reported across the 30 BSE companies in FY24, up from 664 in FY23, the data shows.
PoSH committee members attributed this to increased awareness between women professionals on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women in the Workplace (PoSH) Act, as well as several companies pushing for a culture that encourages reporting such cases.
“This indicates a greater awareness among employees “Which is driving real change as more women are coming forward and filing complaints,” said Vishal Kedia, PoSH expert at Complykaro.
Smita Shetty Kapoor, CEO of Kelp, a PoSH advisory firm, said, “Cases of harassment were there earlier too, but what has changed is the rise in awareness among women and companies, which is leading to more such cases being reported.” Most of the companies that showed an increase in complaints are from the banking and technology sectors, which have a younger workforce and employ more women.ICICI Bank showed the maximum increase in the number of complaints with 133 cases reported in fiscal year 2024 versus 43 in fiscal year 2023, 46 in fiscal year 2022 and 33 in fiscal year 2021.
An ICICI Bank spokesperson said, “In addition to our policy for dealing with sexual harassment complaints, we have a strong culture where our (women) employees are encouraged to report all incidents without fear, no matter how minor they may seem.” Around 59 complaints were filed out of 133 reported cases in FY24, the spokesperson added.
TCS There were 110 reported cases in FY24, compared to 49 in FY23, 36 in FY22 and 27 in FY21. Information systems There were 98 cases reported in FY24, compared to 78 in FY23, 25 in FY22 and 16 in FY21. Mahindra Technology There were 93 cases reported in FY24, compared to 74 in FY23, 45 in FY22 and 30 in FY21. HDFC Bank There were 77 cases reported in FY24, compared to 68 in FY23, 51 in FY22 and 47 in FY21. Axis Bank There were 36 cases reported in FY24, compared to 34 in FY23, 45 in FY22 and 39 in FY21.
An HDFC Bank spokesperson said: “The bank has a ‘zero tolerance’ stance towards any kind of sexual misconduct. We actively promote a culture of transparency and openness to encourage reporting of any such instances.”
Tata Steel showed the largest decrease in the number of reported sexual harassment cases with 21 in FY24 versus 38 in FY23, 22 in FY22 and 21 in FY21.
Axis Bank declined to be involved in the story. Emails sent to TCS, Infosys, Tech Mahindra and Tata Steel remained unanswered till the time of publication.
Kelp’s Kapoor said: “The increased physical presence in offices post-pandemic is leading to boundaries being broken at times. Gen Z and millennials are more aware and more open to speaking out about such instances.”
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