POSH Act Compliance: What Every Employer Needs in Place

A Legal Requirement, Not an Optional Policy

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 — commonly called the POSH Act — is India's primary law governing workplace sexual harassment. It applies to every workplace employing more than ten people, and the obligations it creates are frequently misunderstood or only partially implemented.

The Internal Committee Requirement

Every organization with more than ten employees must constitute an Internal Committee (IC) to receive and address complaints. The composition is specific: a Presiding Officer who is a senior woman employee, at least two internal members with a demonstrated commitment to women's issues or relevant legal background, and one external member from an NGO or with subject-matter expertise. At least half of the IC's total members must be women.

Beyond the Committee: Full Compliance Checklist

Written POSH policy: A documented policy must exist and be communicated to all employees, not just filed away.
Prominent display of consequences: The penal consequences of sexual harassment must be displayed visibly at the workplace.
Regular awareness training: Employees and IC members need ongoing training, not a one-time onboarding session.
90-day resolution timeline: Complaints must be resolved by the Internal Committee within 90 days of being filed.
Annual report to the District Officer: Every organization must file an annual report on the number of complaints received and resolved.

The Cost of Getting This Wrong

Failing to constitute an IC, failing to file the annual report, or otherwise failing to comply carries a fine of up to ₹50,000. A repeat offence can double the penalty and put the company's business licenses, registrations, or approvals at risk of cancellation or non-renewal.

"POSH compliance is one of the few areas of HR law where the penalty for inaction is often more expensive than the policy itself."

Where Companies Commonly Fall Short

In practice, most compliance gaps aren't about the policy document — they're about follow-through. Companies set up an IC once and never revisit its composition as people leave the organization. Awareness training happens during onboarding and never again. The annual filing gets missed because no one owns the deadline. None of these are complex fixes, but they require someone to actually track them.

Fovestta™ helps HR teams track POSH policy acknowledgment, IC composition, and filing deadlines as part of standard compliance documentation, so this doesn't depend on one person remembering a date on a calendar.