An Indian online food ordering and delivery platform, Swiggy introduced a Swiggy-specific Policy on Sexual Harassment Redressal that is aligned in spirit with the POSH Act. It covers how sexual harassment can be reported and how it will be investigated and acted upon.
What happens when there is untoward behavior in the form of sexual assault directed towards the women delivery executives?
As gig workers, delivery executives are not covered under the ambit of Indian laws for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH).
Internal studies have shown that many delivery executives aren’t even aware of the contours of sexual harassment or misconduct and that there are means to address it. The company set out to double down on safety; build a policy that seeks to address these issues.
Swiggy Head of Operations Mihir Shah stated, ‘With the sexual harassment redressal policy, we are taking a proactive step in fostering responsibility among all players in the community’.
He added, ‘We hope these measures will prevent events from occurring and also encourage women delivery executives to notice and report problems with the assurance that action would be taken. Our objective is to empower women to feel safe on Swiggy’s delivery platform’.
Below are concrete actions the company has taken and a policy it has started implementing to affect immediate and long-term safety:
The On-ground Implementation
A delivery executive’s journey has a few touchpoints where they interact with people — restaurant premise, store premise, Swiggy’s offices and training centers, and customer’s location.
Reporting Sexual Harassment – In case of a sexual harassment case arising due to customers, male counterparts, restaurant partners, and Swiggy employees, the woman delivery executive can reach out to Swiggy’s Emergency SOS number for support.
After providing emergency assistance, if she wants Swiggy to conduct an investigation, She can lodge a complaint with our on-ground team.
Action for Different Touchpoints
Swiggy Employee- If a Swiggy employee is a perpetrator, it becomes a POSH case since the employee is bound to the company.
Restaurant partner/ Consumer/ Fellow delivery partner- An initial investigation by an internal committee headed by a woman is followed by guidance on what the delivery executive can do. For instance, what IPC codes are available, support in filing a complaint, and supporting the authorities in their investigation.
The company is also working on a solution to ensure that if the harassment occurs at a customer’s location after the initial investigation is done, no other female delivery executive with Swiggy is ever assigned to that customer.
The number will be highlighted so that a female executive is not assigned even if the customer changes location. Grievous offenses punishable by law will lead to the removal of customers from the Swiggy platform.
At any point, the woman delivery executive can raise a police complaint against the respondent and this policy doesn’t limit that. In such cases, the company will always support the authorities in the investigation.
Making the Delivery Universe Safer for Female Executives – Everyone has a Role to Play
Educating restaurant partners and Instamart store staff – Regular communication, sensitizing, and seeking support from restaurant partners and staff at Instamart stores.
Educating male delivery executives – Male delivery executives have been receiving communication about sexual harassment and the redressal policy.
Educating customers – The company is also in the process of sensitizing and seeking support from its customers. The track screen that carries the delivery executive’s details will have a safety message, and awareness message for women executives.
Awareness Among Women Delivery Executives
While the company has a policy and plan in place, it is imperative to educate and create awareness about sexual harassment among women delivery executives and support them to report incidents.
In the last 45 days, the executives have been receiving regular communication in Hindi, English, and regional languages on-
- What is defined as sexual harassment?
- Swiggy’s sexual harassment redressal policy
- How to raise and register a complaint?
The company has also been conducting in-person sessions, starting with cities like Bangalore and Chennai where Swiggy has the highest number of women delivery executives.
