Evolving Posh and Workplace Harassment Policies Dimensions: Ensuring Dignity and Compliance in Digital Arenas

Digitisation of workplaces and remote work, or employment on a platform changed the nature, manifestation, and regulation of workplace harassment fundamentally. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) is an important normative step in achieving dignity and equality at the workplace in India. Nevertheless, its structure was mostly developed taking into consideration the setting of physical working places and traditional employment relations. This paper critically analyzes the dynamic aspects of POSH and harassment policies at the workplace in digital and virtual work environments. It compares different aspects of technology-mediated harassment, through a doctrinal analysis, to establish whether the current legal mechanisms suffice to tackle this problem and whether there are institutional and interpretative gaps. In this paper, the authors argue that the purposive, constitutional interpretation of POSH that is defined by the presence of digital-specific compliance strategies and best practices comparison is a necessity to promote dignity and substantial equality in modern workplaces.