Anti-Harassment Policy

Anti-Harassment Policy

DSAIA has a “zero-tolerance” policy with respect to unlawful employee harassment. The Organization prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sex, national origin, age, disability, or status in any group protected by federal, state, or local law. All employees and volunteers are responsible for assuring that the workplace is free from illegal harassment of anytype. Due to the Organization’s strong disapproval of offensive or inappropriate behavior at work, all employees and volunteers must avoid any action, conduct, or behavior, which could be viewed as inappropriate by normal considerations.

All employees have the right to be treated with respect and dignity. The Organization supports an employee’s right to work in an environment free from harassment, including sexual harassment. This policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, performance reviews, training, development, promotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, educational assistance, layoff and recall, social and recreational programs, associate facilities, termination and/or retirement.

With respect to sexual harassment, it is behavior directed toward an employee on the basis of sex and can include sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment;

Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for making employment decisions; or

Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

While it is not possible to list all those additional circumstances that may constitute illegal harassment, the following are examples of conduct, when unwelcome, may constitute harassment depending on the circumstances:

Offensive or derogatory comments, jokes, innuendoes, pictures, videos, or music relating to a person’s race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, or status in any group protected by federal, state, or local law;

Acting in a manner to show dominance over or to intimidate another person because of their race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, or status in any group protected by federal, state, or local law;

Sexual advances - whether they involve physical touching or not;

Requests for sexual favors in exchange for actual or promised job benefits, such as favorable reviews, salary increases, promotions, increased benefits or continued employment;

Use of sexual epithets, written or oral references to sexual conduct, gossip regarding one's sex life, comments on an individual's body, comments about an individual's sexual activity, deficiencies, or prowess;

Displaying or distributing sexually suggestive objects, pictures (including inappropriate computer screensavers and e-mails), text messages, videos, or cartoons;

Dissemination of sexually explicit voicemail, e-mail, text messages, graphics, downloaded material or websites.

Leering, whistling, brushing against the body, sexual gestures, suggestive or insulting comments;

Inquiries into one’s sexual experiences;

Discussion of one’s sexual activities;

Repeated requests for dates;

Assault or coerced sexual acts.

If an employee has any questions about what constitutes harassing behavior, he/she should ask his/her Supervisor or the Executive Director.

Due to the nature of business, it is possible that any employee may, in the normal course of work, be assigned to look at information, published online on the Internet or elsewhere, which is beyond the control of the DSAIA. If any employee is asked to look at any such information, which he/she finds personally offensive, it is that employee’s duty to promptly consult his or her Supervisor, or the Executive Director. When this happens, the Supervisor shall make best efforts to reassign the workload.

Harassment Complaint Procedure:

Any employee who knows of or experiences any job-related harassment based on sex, gender, race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or status in any group protected by law, or believes that he/she has been treated in an unlawful, discriminatory manner, must immediately report the incident to a supervisor, the Executive Director, or the Chair of the Board of Directors. This policy applies to all incidents of alleged harassment, including those that occur away from DSAIS or off-hours, where the alleged offender is a supervisor, co-worker, Board member, volunteer, agent, or vendor of DSAIA. Should the alleged harassment occur at a time other than an employee’s normal working hours, the employee must report the incident to a supervisor,the Executive Director, or the Chair of the Board of Directorsat the first opportunity. This policy also applies to all incidents of alleged harassment by any other third party on DSAIA premises.

There is no need to follow any formal chain of command when filing a complaint or when discussing any concern regarding alleged discrimination or harassment, and a complaint does not need to be in writing. Any reported incident will be promptly and thoroughly investigated. While each investigation will proceed as the particular circumstances warrant, an investigation will at a minimum involve an interview with the employee making the complaint and interviews with persons identified as witnesses or having knowledge of the incident or conduct. All complaints will be kept as confidential as possible. All persons will be instructed to treat the investigation as confidential and not to discuss the allegations with other persons, particularly those not involved in the incident or investigation, but complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

DSAIA prohibits any form of retaliation against any employee for filing an honest complaint under this policy or for assisting in a complaint investigation. However, if, after investigating any complaint of harassment or unlawful discrimination, DSAIA determines that the complaint is not honest and was not made in good faith, or that an employee intentionally provided false information regarding the complaint, disciplinary action may be taken against the individual who filed the complaint or who gave the false information.

Harassment of our volunteers, customers, or clients by our employees is also strictly prohibited under this policy.

If as a result of the investigation it is determined that any individual engaged in conduct that either constitutes harassment or otherwise violates DSAIA policies, appropriate remedial or disciplinary action will be taken. Such actions could include (among others) suspension, eliminating contact between the employees involved in the incident, mandated training and/or counseling, demotion, or immediate termination. The DSAIA will also meet with the employees involved to make certain that any improper conduct has stopped, and that there has been no discrimination or retaliatory action against the complaining employee.

The importance of this policy cannot be emphasized enough. An environment free of illegal harassment is not only the law, it is fundamental to the culture of the DSAIA.

DO NOT ASSUME THAT THE ORGANIZATION KNOWS ABOUT AN EMPLOYEE’S SITUATION, REPORT ALL INCIDENTS OF HARASSMENT TO A SUPERVISOR, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OR THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

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