FOSPAH urges banks to display workplace codes of conduct, ensure gender equality

Profit reported that Fauzia Viqar, the Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment at the Workplace, wants banks to make their workplace conduct codes visible in every office. She also asked that the names of inquiry committee members be available to staff through internal networks. The call came during a meeting with State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad that focused on harassment safeguards and gender discrimination in the banking sector.

Viqar stressed that employees should know which channels to use when reporting harassment and seeking help. She noted the SBP's Banking on Equality policy and urged financial institutions to do more on harassment and discrimination. Viqar also asked banks to comply with maternity and paternity leave rules under legislation brought in 2023.

The meeting also emphasised stronger internal safeguards, easier access to complaint mechanisms and clearer communication of workplace policies to staff. The proposals are designed to build knowledge of legal rights and make institutions more answerable for handling harassment and discrimination in banks. The report names no individual bank, so the story applies to the sector as a whole.