Protecting employees beyond our workplace

Over the past two years, two questions have consistently emerged during POSH workshops and in my conversations with leaders:

1. How do I protect my employees if the harassment involves an external stakeholder?
2. If our team operates from a partner organisation’s office, are they protected if the harassment comes from someone who does not belong to our organisation?

These are real concerns. 

Since many organisations often work through partnerships, client locations, and shared workspaces in this edition of #todayinposh, I want to talk about how we can protect our people, especially when they are engaging with external stakeholders.

The starting point lies in understanding two critical definitions under the law: what constitutes a workplace and who can file a complaint under the law.

Workplace: Workplace is anywhere your people are going for work or work related matters. It not only includes physical offices, but also includes co-working spaces, work from home, meeting with external stakeholders (either in their office or even outside), working from the offices of partner organizations, attending any conference, workshops, training, official meetings, official offsite/retreats, office parties. Furthermore, workplaces also include any online medium where employees engage with each other, including emails, whatsapp, Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet, slack channels and similar such channels.

Who is covered under the law: The law not only protects your employees but also any visitors to your workplace including partner organisations, clients, vendors, service providers, guests, guest faculty, customers at your location, students, alumni, fellows, candidates appearing for interviews etc.

Understanding these two definitions is critical because in many situations, your people are visitors to someone else' workplace and hence, they are protected under the law. While in some cases, your organisation may not have the jurisdiction to investigate the case, there are many ways through which you can still protect your people from any potential harassment. 

Communications protocol: encourage your employees to

• Use official communication channels only (official email IDs, institutional phone numbers, formal WhatsApp groups).
• Avoid sharing personal phone numbers, photos, or personal information.
• Keep all communication brief, neutral, and work-related.
• Discontinue responses to messages that are personal or inappropriate and shift communication to official channels.

Managing requests for in-person meetings 

• Where in-person meetings are required, employees should:
  • Avoid meeting alone; attend in pairs wherever feasible.
  • Whenever possible, choose open or shared office spaces rather than closed rooms.
  • Inform their reporting manager in advance of the meeting details (purpose, location, time)
• Suggest virtual meetings or email-based communication for routine or minor tasks.

Addressing inappropriate behaviour - encourage your employees to

• Do not normalise sexist comments, personal remarks, or inappropriate jokes through silence or humour.
• Redirect the conversation to professional topics without engaging with the remark.
• Respond calmly and assertively to sexist remarks or dismissal of professional competence.
• Document instances of inappropriate behaviour, even if immediate escalation is not pursued.
• Inform their supervisors if such behaviour is repeated so that organisational intervention can be planned

Organisational responsibilities and safeguards

• Leadership should intervene when behavioural patterns from external stakeholders become concerning. Some steps may include: 
  • Intervene directly with the external stakeholder.
  • Request a change in the external point of contact.
  • Escalate concerns to senior officials or leadership within the external organisation.
• Clearly assure employees that reporting concerns will not result in blame or negative consequences.
• Avoid isolating employees by looping in supervisors or colleagues during external engagements.
• Establish a clear protocol for external interactions, including:
  • Use of official communication channels only.
  • Meetings during office hours.
  • Presence of more than one staff member wherever possible.

While these measures are not exhaustive, they form a strong foundation. Proactive safeguarding measures is not just about compliance, it is about creating a culture of trust.

Employees place greater trust in organisations where they know that their managers and leadership will stand by them, even when the challenge comes from outside the organisation.

That trust directly influences engagement, retention, and the credibility of the organisation’s commitment to dignity and safety at work.When leaders act early, clearly, and consistently, they send a powerful message:

Our people matter. Wherever they work, and whoever they work with.