Chandigarh firms get dos and don’ts for night travel by women staff

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 19

To ensure safety and security of women employees who travel during late night hours, the UT Administration has issued a set of directives for employers.

An order issued by District Magistrate Vinay Pratap Singh states business process outsourcing (BPO) units or call centres, corporate houses, media outlets, companies and organisations must provide pickup and drop-off facility to women employees.

Women employees who travelled during late night hours were vulnerable to crime and criminal acts by anti-social elements, he said.

To ensure safety of employees, especially women, working till late hours, Singh directed all such organisations to maintain a data of all employees, security personnel, cab drivers and contract staff working with them, for access by the police as and when required. “Hire security personnel as far as possible from licensed agencies only,” said the order. It asked the companies to ensure women employees did not travel alone with the cab driver and were accompanied by a duly verified security guard or a male colleague during night hours i.e. from 8 pm to 7 am.

They have been asked to choose the route in such a manner that the woman staffer was not the first one to be picked up and last to be dropped off. Further, GPS system needed to be installed in cabs used for transport, it adds.

Key directives by UT

• Provide pickup & drop-off facility between 8 pm and 7 am
• Firms to keep record of hired staff for access by police if needed
• Hire security personnel from licensed agencies only
• Guard, male colleague must accompany women staff
• Ensure women are not picked up first and dropped off last
• Install GPS system in cabs used to ferry employees

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