Harassment Policy

Date Established: October 19, 2020
Date Last Updated: October 19, 2020

Policy Statement
The City is committed to providing all of its employees with a workplace free from harassment. The City maintains a strict policy prohibiting sexual harassment and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. This prohibition applies to all employees, volunteers, vendors, residents, or citizens of the City. No employee of the City is expected to tolerate any conduct prohibited by this policy from anyone while at work or engaged in City business.

The City does not consider conduct that violates this policy to be within the proper course and scope of employment and does not sanction such conduct on the part of any employee, including management employees. Employees violating this policy are subject to discipline up to and including termination.

Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is strictly prohibited. This specific form of harassment includes any unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or visual, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

-Submission to such conduct is made an implicit or explicit condition of an individual’s employment;
-Submission to or rejection of such conduct affects employment opportunities; or
-Such conduct interferes with an employee’s work or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
The following is a partial list of conduct that would be considered sexual harassment:
-Unwanted sexual advances
-Offering employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors
-Making or threatening retaliation after a negative response to sexual advances
-Visual conduct such as leering, making sexual gestures, displaying sexually suggestive objects or pictures, cartoons, calendars, or posters
-Verbal conduct such as making or using derogatory comments, epithets, slurs, sexually explicit jokes, sexual banter or innuendoes, or comments about an employee’s body or manner of dress
-Written communications of a sexual nature distributed in hard copy or via a computer network
-Verbal sexual advances or propositions
-Verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic verbal commentary about an individual’s body, sexually degrading words to describe an individual, suggestive or obscene letters, notes or invitations
-Physical conduct such as touching, assault, and impeding or blocking movements
Sexual harassment can occur between employees of the opposite sex or of the same sex; between supervisors and subordinates; between employees and non-employees; and between co-workers all of which behavior is strictly prohibited. Retaliation for making harassment reports, for threatening to report harassment, or for participating in a harassment investigation is prohibited.

Other Types of Harassment
In addition to sexual harassment, the City also prohibits any employee from harassing another employee based on ethnicity, race, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or other characteristic protected by law. Such harassment may include threats, derogatory remarks, epithets, offensive jokes, the display of offensive printed or visual material, or offensive physical actions that unreasonably interfere with an individual’s work performance or create an abusive work environment.

Harassment Complaints
If you believe you have been subjected to harassment prohibited by this policy, or are aware of harassing conduct involving another employee, you should immediately report that behavior to your supervisor, department head, or to Human Resources. The Complaint Procedure includes a form to be used. Any employee utilizing this complaint procedure will be treated courteously and as privately as feasible, and the filing of a good-faith complaint will in no way be used against you.

An employee who files a good faith complaint of harassment, or who testifies, assists, or participates in any manner in any investigation, proceeding or hearing conducted by the City or a governmental enforcement agency regarding such harassment, will not be retaliated against.

Contact Information
Human Resources Department
hr@cityofames.org
515-239-5199