Short answer: Section 19(c) of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 requires employers to organise workshops and awareness programmes at regular intervals for sensitising employees with the provisions of the Act.
What Section 19(c) Requires
Section 19 lists duties of the employer. Clause (c) requires workshops and awareness programmes at regular intervals for employee sensitisation and also refers separately to orientation programmes for members of the Internal Committee.
Does the Act Say POSH Training Must Be Annual?
No universal annual frequency appears in the wording of Section 19(c). The Act uses the phrase “at regular intervals”. Organisations should therefore be careful about presenting “once every year” as the exact wording of the Act.
Who Should Receive POSH Awareness?
The employer duty relates to sensitising employees with the provisions of the Act. The appropriate format, timing and supporting internal communication should be planned around the organisation's workforce, operating model and compliance processes.
Employee Awareness vs Internal Committee Orientation
These are related but different training needs. General employees need practical awareness: expected workplace conduct, what sexual harassment can include, reporting mechanisms and how to respond appropriately. Internal Committee members need deeper orientation for their statutory role and procedures.
Can Online Training Form Part of POSH Awareness?
Structured online training can provide a consistent way to sensitise employees, particularly in organisations with multiple offices, shifts or remote teams. The learning should still be meaningful, relevant and integrated with organisation-specific reporting information.
Need employee POSH awareness at scale?
See how Abhisam's interactive course can be deployed across your organisation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is POSH training mandatory in India?
Section 19(c) requires employers to organise workshops and awareness programmes at regular intervals for sensitising employees with the provisions of the Act.
Does the POSH Act say training must be annual?
Section 19(c) uses the phrase “at regular intervals”; it does not state one universal annual frequency in that clause.
Is employee awareness the same as Internal Committee orientation?
No. The law refers separately to employee awareness programmes and orientation programmes for Internal Committee members.