BUSINESS ETHICS PRESENTATION

PHANEESH MURTHY SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASE

Presented by: ashish manchanda (35) gaurav mishra (23) simranjeet singh (37) ashwani kumar (34) bharat sharma (22)

What is sexual harassment? According to the Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.

WHY SEXUAL HARASSMENT HAPPENS? There are Two prominent theories, to define WHY :-

Illinois model (Fitzgerald, Hulin, & Drasgow, 1996):- Illinois law requires all parties to a public contract and all eligible bidders to have a written sexual harassment policy covering their employees and applicants for employment.  This requirement applies regardless of the number of persons employed or the dollar value of any public contract.  According to Section 2-105(A) (4) of the Illinois Human Rights Act.

WHY SEXUAL HARASSMENT HAPPENS? Pryor's Person by Situation Theory (1987)  this model suggests that sexually harassing behaviour may be

predicted from an analysis of social, situational and person factors. When individuals with a proclivity for sexual harassment are placed in social situations that permit or accept this sort of behaviour, the behaviour is most likely to occur. From a review of research relating social norms in organizational settings and sexual harassment incidence, women are found more likely to experience sexual harassment in workplaces where men perceive the social norms as permitting such behaviour. Research on sexual harassment proclivities in men also is reviewed. A profile of men are high in the likelihood to sexual harassment (LSH) is developed through an examination of correlations between the LSH and (1) standard self-report (2) social cognitive measures, and (3) social behaviours measured in laboratory settings.

Phaneesh murthy vs.

reka maximovitch On 17 December 2001, Reka Maximovitch filed

a sexual harassment case against InfosysTechnologies and its high-profile director (sales and marketing) Phaneesh Murthy.

In April 2003, Infosys closed the case with a $3-million out-of-court composite settlement. That means that in return for the money, Maximovitch surrenders her right to sue either the company or Murthy, And while Maximovitch moved out of the picture with the settlement, Phaneesh Murthy and the company have been on a war of words—press releases to be exact—in a casethat’s getting unseemly after the resolution. 

Phaneesh murthy vs.

reka maximovitch

HERE THE ALLIGATIONS BY THE VICTIM PARTY WERE:-

VERBAL SEXUAL HARASSMENT:• Verbal harassment includes unwanted

personal comments or sexual slurs, or abusive remarks, explicit ‘jokes’ or innuendo, and compromising invitations, including demands for sexual favors.

Phaneesh murthy vs.

reka maximovitch

Unwanted sexual advancements: requests for sexual favors un wanted touchor physical conduct of a sexual nature when the victim party is uncomfortable unwilling to do so.

Phaneesh murthy vs.

reka maximovitch

Unlawful termination: The term "wrongful termination" means that an employer has fired or laid off an employee for illegal reasons in the eyes of the law.

INFOSYS POLICY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Anti- sexual harassment Initiative (ASHI). Encourage employee to report unethical

behaviour under whistle blower policy. Independent (non-Infosys) grievance redressal

body and procedure.  The redressal body consists of an

independent chair person who is a lady, as required by the Supreme Court guidelines and four committee members who are employees.

As a part of the training process all officers and board members have been given a course on the prevention of sexual harassment. 

``How to overcome``Even though there are policies for sexual harassment

such disturbing cases happen to overcome this difficulty

Employer’s role: - CREATE SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY

- COMMUNICATE THE POLICY - EXECUTE ACCORDING TO THE POLICY - MAKE A GREIVIENCE CELL - TRAINING THE EMPLOYEES

``How to overcome``

EMPLOYEE’S OR VICTIM’S ROLE: - DEALING WITH THE HARASSER

- COMMUNICATE THE PROBLEM - FORMAL AND OFFICIAL REPORTING -CREATE WITNESS - SET BOUNDARIES

“THE ORGANISATION AS A WHOLE HAS TO WORK TO ERADICATE THIS

PROBLEM OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT”