Anti-Harassment Policy

Use this customizable PeopleGoal Anti-Harassment Policy template as an outline for your company’s anti-harassment policies.

The PeopleGoal Anti-Harassment Policy describes terms for anti-harassment as per the law and company-specific regulation. Simply adjust the information in the brackets to suit your company’s needs.

Harassment is a form of employment discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

Harassment, as defined by this policy, is any unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. Any harassment based on protected characteristics will not be tolerated in this workplace. Unlawful harassment may include offensive jokes, slurs, epithets, physical assaults or threats, intimidation, ridicule, mockery, insults, offensive objects or photographs, or interference with work performance. Employees who are affected by offensive conduct are considered the victims of harassment.

This company has allocated resources and staff time for harassment prevention efforts and works to assess harassment risk factors. As lead by the Diversity Director, this company has taken steps to minimize the risk of harassment in the workplace including:

• Providing a harassment prevention policy that is accessible to all employees; • Ensuring that employees have a confidential space to report harassment in the workplace; • Requiring regular anti-harassment training for all employees and managers; • Conducting regular climate surveys to assess and identify potentially problematic behavior in the workplace; and • Appointing a Diversity Director, tasked with implementing metrics for harassment response and prevention.

To report harassment in the workplace, an employee must contact the General Counsel, and file a complaint in writing. The General Counsel is required to alert the Human Resources Manager of alleged harassment, as appropriate. Investigative action must be taken by the General Counsel and the Human Resources Manager immediately and the employee must be notified of actions taken within 72 hours. Any information that is gathered as part of a harassment investigation will be kept confidential to the greatest extent possible.

Managers, directors and other employees are required to respond appropriately to harassment in the workplace. Violation of the anti-harassment policy, including failures to investigate, failures to notify, failures to investigate objectively, or failures to institute corrective or preventative measures, may result in suspension or termination.

Employees will not be punished or retaliated against for reporting harassment, participating in a harassment investigation, or for bringing a lawsuit to oppose harassment. Additionally, employees who serve as witnesses to harassment are protected against punishment or retaliation. This company will protect the confidentiality of employees who report harassment to the greatest extent possible.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is not tolerated in this workplace. It is unlawful to harass a person on the basis of sex. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature are considered sexual harassment. Offensive comments about an entire sex may be considered sexual harassment.

The process for reporting, investigating, and handling sexual harassment complaints is the same as the process for other types of harassment. To report sexual harassment in the workplace, an employee must contact the General Counsel, and file a complaint in writing. The General Counsel is required to alert the Human Resources Manager of sexual harassment allegations, as appropriate. Investigative action must be taken by the General Counsel and the Human Resources Manager immediately and the employee must be notified of actions taken within 72 hours. Any information that is gathered as part of a sexual harassment investigation will be kept confidential to the greatest extent possible.

Employees will not be punished or retaliated against for reporting sexual harassment, participating in a sexual harassment investigation, or for bringing a lawsuit to oppose sexual harassment. Additionally, employees who serve as witnesses to sexual harassment are protected against punishment or retaliation. This company will protect the confidentiality of employees who report sexual harassment to the greatest extent possible.

Disclaimer: The PeopleGoal Policies are general templates and should only be used as a basis for company policies. Please take into account all local, state, and federal laws when drafting your company’s final policies. This is not a legal document or a contract, and PeopleGoal will not assume any legal liability associated with the use of this document.