Rachna Sinha Roy: Striking The Ideal Balance Between Care, Sensitivity & Assertive Representation
Rachna Sinha Roy
Founder
by their presence in virtually all professions. No longer limited to the domestic sphere, women professionals can be seen now in every industry, whether it be sports, entertainment, politics, or academia.As India witnesses a phenomenal change with an increased participation of women in the workforce, sexual harassment at workplace became a major problem and a risk to business. To address such issues at the workplace, Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace(Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) was enacted in December 2013. Taking this further, Lawyer and Entrepreneur Rachna Sinha Roy founded Counsel Quest in 2017 to 'increase awareness about the importance of gender sensitive workplaces and promote a culture of justice, respect and opportunity by training employers and employees alike on how to make their workplaces more inclusive for everyone'. In an exclusive interaction with CEO Insights, Rachna spoke about her entrepreneurial path and the mission that accompanies it.
What motivated you to begin your entrepreneurial journey in the Legal Advice industry, and what motivates you today?
While working with numerouscorporations, I was also involved in the formation and working of committees under Vishakha guidelines, as well as educating employees and management about the sensitivity around this issue and how important it is to comply with this law in both letter and spirit.
From there, the desire to go out on my own grew. I truly wanted to pursue something where I could serve people on a larger scale with a greater purpose. The gap was evidentamong even those few professionals, who were only focused on the investigation and litigation process rather than educating corporations about investing in their employees' awareness programs
so that such instances are less common.
I have seen a clear need for organizations to providetheir employees with information about sexual harassment and be educated to understand the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in the workplace. Over the years, I have frequently encountered many women who are confused about whether certain behaviours constitute sexual harassment. They might feel that these behaviours have no negative impact on their day-to-day lives, yet they know it is unacceptable, making it even more crucial that corporate leaders and employees alike be aware of what sexual harassment is and how to take action when it occurs. Working in the Legal sector made me realize that there were huge gaps in the way companies handle cases of Sexual Harassment. There have been times I found myself in situations in which I felt uncomfortable and vulnerable but did not know how to handle. And that was the gap that bothered me; someone needs to fill the gap of prevention by educating people and making them aware of their rights. That's when I decided to make this my primary field of practice and how I got started with Counsel Quest in 2017.
How would you define Counsel Quest and its position in the market? Also, how does your company differentiate itself from the competition?
We are not a massive corporation; rather, we are a boutique, specialized, and small enterprise. And with a small group of subject matter experts, we are attempting to carve out a niche for ourselves in which Counsel Quest is recognised as a leader in POSH related services. Currently,we are a very young organization with ambitions to grow and reach out to people in the unorganized sector, as well as women who are not otherwise being educated in this area of self-empo
Be your own hero. If you want to change some thing, totally commit to make that change happen. I feel that if each one of us (women)make such commitment and support each other we would achieve social change quickly
I have seen a clear need for organizations to providetheir employees with information about sexual harassment and be educated to understand the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in the workplace. Over the years, I have frequently encountered many women who are confused about whether certain behaviours constitute sexual harassment. They might feel that these behaviours have no negative impact on their day-to-day lives, yet they know it is unacceptable, making it even more crucial that corporate leaders and employees alike be aware of what sexual harassment is and how to take action when it occurs. Working in the Legal sector made me realize that there were huge gaps in the way companies handle cases of Sexual Harassment. There have been times I found myself in situations in which I felt uncomfortable and vulnerable but did not know how to handle. And that was the gap that bothered me; someone needs to fill the gap of prevention by educating people and making them aware of their rights. That's when I decided to make this my primary field of practice and how I got started with Counsel Quest in 2017.
How would you define Counsel Quest and its position in the market? Also, how does your company differentiate itself from the competition?
We are not a massive corporation; rather, we are a boutique, specialized, and small enterprise. And with a small group of subject matter experts, we are attempting to carve out a niche for ourselves in which Counsel Quest is recognised as a leader in POSH related services. Currently,we are a very young organization with ambitions to grow and reach out to people in the unorganized sector, as well as women who are not otherwise being educated in this area of self-empo
werment for their rights. Counsel Quest is in a unique position because our sole emphasis is anti sexual harassment legislation. As a result, we are establishing an environment in which Counsel Quest is viewed as a one stop shop for awareness, balanced investigations, including diversity and inclusion to complete the compliance cycle.
How are you developing strategies as the Founder to achieve the company's vision?
As the founder, I believe that collaboration is the key to progress. We look at diverse partnerships through which we can benefit from each other's experiences and assist our partners with our expertise and abilities. We are also looking at root level associations with learning centres such as Educational and Training Institutions where we can reach the greatest number of people and educate them through training, panel discussions, and workshops. In the next 3-4 years, we intend to focus more on collaborations to raise awareness about appropriate training and to design a few more short sessions on related issues such as consent, biases, stereotyping, and how to combat these issues, as well as how to implement some good and healthy practises in workplaces where employees are empowered to recognise, combat, and deal with these issues.
What advice would you provide to aspiring industry professionals based on your considerable experience?
My advice is that the younger you start on your own, the better because you will gain a lot of confidence and mileage. Because the risk taking capacity of young people is significantly higher than it is after a certain age. Nevertheless, anytime is a fantastic time if you have faith in your idea and believe in yourself enough to take the risk of failing.
What is your message for other women?
At the personal level do not seek validations from others. Be your own hero. If you want to change something, totally commit to make that change happen. I feel that if each one of us(women) make such commitment and support each other, we would achieve social change quickly.
Rachna Sinha Roy, Founder, Counsel Quest
Rachna has nearly 19 years of experience as a Legal Counsel, Company Secretary, and Compliance Expert providing Legal and Commercial support to Senior Management.
How are you developing strategies as the Founder to achieve the company's vision?
As the founder, I believe that collaboration is the key to progress. We look at diverse partnerships through which we can benefit from each other's experiences and assist our partners with our expertise and abilities. We are also looking at root level associations with learning centres such as Educational and Training Institutions where we can reach the greatest number of people and educate them through training, panel discussions, and workshops. In the next 3-4 years, we intend to focus more on collaborations to raise awareness about appropriate training and to design a few more short sessions on related issues such as consent, biases, stereotyping, and how to combat these issues, as well as how to implement some good and healthy practises in workplaces where employees are empowered to recognise, combat, and deal with these issues.
What advice would you provide to aspiring industry professionals based on your considerable experience?
My advice is that the younger you start on your own, the better because you will gain a lot of confidence and mileage. Because the risk taking capacity of young people is significantly higher than it is after a certain age. Nevertheless, anytime is a fantastic time if you have faith in your idea and believe in yourself enough to take the risk of failing.
What is your message for other women?
At the personal level do not seek validations from others. Be your own hero. If you want to change something, totally commit to make that change happen. I feel that if each one of us(women) make such commitment and support each other, we would achieve social change quickly.
Rachna Sinha Roy, Founder, Counsel Quest
Rachna has nearly 19 years of experience as a Legal Counsel, Company Secretary, and Compliance Expert providing Legal and Commercial support to Senior Management.