No matter how strict the laws and regulations become, or if the companies happily embrace them or not, it would still be inadequate to ensure the safety of our women colleagues at the workplace. And, surprisingly, increasing reports of mishandling, eve-teasing, and molestation cases at the workplace against women are proof of this statement.
So, what else can we do to ensure safety for women?
This article would shed light on some of the possible ways that could help make the commercial spaces safer for women. And subsequently, make their professional as well as social lives easier.
Installing Necessary Security Features
The first and the foremost thing that we can do is install and set up a secure perimeter, just to stay vigilant to any acts of misbehavior. Notably, installing and setting up a security system is not to bind or keep an eye on the women or keep them under surveillance for that matter. The sole purpose is to make sure that if needed, the right help could reach them at the right time.
For this reason, as this article https://ccsecurityservices.co.uk/commercial-security/ explains, video surveillance and mobile patrolling is a great way to keep a check on such accidents. And it needs no saying that when we are vigilant, the chances of mishandling and misbehavior could reduce to a large extent. Plus, installing security systems can also help avoid other accidents such as fire by setting off the alarm, which would make the place safer for not only women but everyone.
Raising Awareness
While setting up surveillance and security systems may help make the place safer for everyone, when it comes to making the place safer for women, a crucial factor is the mentality of the men in the vicinity. There needs to be organized an awareness program for the male members in an office.
The sole purpose of this awareness drive would be to educate the male employees about practicing safe and healthy manners in office, especially which are not offensive to the women. It has been noted that workplaces where men are educated about women’s rights and their duties towards women, there are fewer chances of such things happening.
Proposing No-Tolerance Policy
Additionally, we can also implement a no-tolerance policy in our workplaces. Essentially, the policy means under circumstances is misbehavior with women a tolerable instance. In fact, implementing and enforcing similar policies is a globally accepted way to mitigate such problems. And surprisingly such policies are very effective.
Promote Leadership Amongsts Women
In the quest for making our workplaces safe for women, not only men but women also need to participate, actively. To put this into perspective, there could be several instances where all of the policies, awareness programs and even the security systems may fail. It is up to women to be safe and ensure the safety for other fellow women employees in the workplace. For this reason, promoting leadership qualities in women is believed to be an effective solution in making women self-sufficient. After all, when women hold key positions, they are more likely to be respected and less likely to face mischievous acts.
Inspire Women to Stand Up For Themselves
Most importantly, women should be encouraged to stand up for themselves. As already mentioned, there could be instances when other security and safety measures may fail. However, as long as women are confident enough to raise their voice against the wrongs and take a stand for themselves, the chances of facing molestations are very slim. Besides, even the law-making agencies need to evidence for punishing the convicts, and a loud voice is surely a good piece of evidence.
The fight for uplifting the status of women and making lives easier for them is surely not an easy one. And even more so is making them feel safe at places where men have predominantly been ruling and holding key positions. But, slowly and surely, we shall make progress.
On this note, it is quite evident that more than anything, society needs to change its perspective towards working women. It is not uncommon to witness professionally successful women being molested or being physically exploited in the commercial environment. But this does not mean it could prevail and is acceptable. We need to stand up and make the right decisions to right this wrong. By far the aforementioned measures have been known to help mitigate this problem for many. But, there will surely need to be done a lot more. Let’s wait and watch how far these measures could get us before we make any other changes and implement any new reforms. Till then, goodbye.
