New Delhi: Government employees promising preferential treatment or threatening detrimental consequences in employment to women colleagues will be held accountable for sexual harrassment, as per the revised Central service conduct rules approved by the department of personnel and training (DoPT). Defining "sexual harrassment" and "workplace" in detail in explanations appended to Rule 3C of Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964 dealing with sexual harrassment of women working in government offices, the DoPT made it clear that implied or explicit promise of preferential treatment or threat of detrimental treatment in employment, and implied or explicit threat about present of future employment status would amount to sexual harrassment.
Similar consequences will follow if a government employee interferes with a woman colleague's work or creates an intimidating, offensive or hostile environment for her, or metes out humiliating treatment likely to affect her health or safety.
The amended service conduct rules, notified on November 19, also give an elaborate definition of "workplace", including in its purview any department, organisation, undertaking, establishment, enterprise, institution, office, branch or unit established, owned, controlled or funded wholly or substantially by the Central government.
Workplace as per the new conduct rules will also include hospitals, nursing homes, sports institutes, stadium, sports complexes or competition/games venue. Any place visited by the woman employee arising out of or during the course of employment, including transportation provided by the employer for undertaking the journey, will be considered a workplace and invite action under conduct rules if there is any sexual harrassment there.