Promoting a Just and Safe Workplace in a Just and Safe Society
Sexual harassment and discrimination issues in the workplace and within our society as a whole are major issues. St. George Community Development Corporation is committed to core values that include respect and dignity for all people in all interactions. St. George Community Development Corporation promotes a workplace and society where discrimination and harassment of any kind is not tolerated. All St. George Community Development Corporation employees and volunteers must, through their words and actions, always embody the highest standards of conduct and integrity.
As part of our commitment to a harassment-free society, we consider not just internal St. George Community Development Corporation operations and the training we provide to our employees and volunteers, but also how we work with outside parties, including others within our larger community. This is part of an overall commitment to equality, fair treatment, and compassion—and we promote those values within the nonprofit community and beyond.
A key part of St. George Community Development Corporation’s commitment to equity and compassion is open communication, even on topics that can be particularly challenging. This is a central tenet of our anti-harassment and discrimination policy.
We are open to hearing concerns, we will identify issues that must be addressed, and we will resolve them in an urgent and thorough manner reflecting the importance of fairness and equality to St. George Community Development Corporation as an organization.
Harassment and Discriminatory Conduct
St. George Community Development Corporation has a zero-tolerance policy regarding discrimination or sexual harassment. Legal prohibitions against discrimination and unequal treatment of protected classes will be strictly enforced, but those are minimum requirements. St. George Community Development Corporation prohibits workplace harassment and bullying of any kind. This policy extends not only to St. George Community Development Corporation employees and volunteers as they interact with each other but also to employees and volunteers acting on behalf of St. George Community Development Corporation and to third-parties, outside organizations, and individuals that interact with St. George Community Development Corporation employees and volunteers.
Harassment is unwelcome conduct against a person that makes an individual feel threatened, publicly humiliated, or intimidated. It may include jokes, negative stereotyping, slurs, and intimidating or threatening acts. Harassment can occur in many ways, including denigrating or disrespectful written or graphic materials that circulate among co-workers or third parties affiliated with St. George Community Development Corporation via email, phone (including voice messages), text messages, blogs, or other means.
Such prohibited harassment includes discriminatory verbal, written, or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility, aversion, or favoritism toward a person because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran and (1) has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment, (2) has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a person’s work performance, or (3) otherwise adversely affects a person’s employment opportunities.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment constitutes discrimination and is illegal under federal, state, and local laws. At a minimum, St. George Community Development Corporation views sexual harassment as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Guidelines define it: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment, client or volunteer status, (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s performance of work or volunteer responsibilities or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.
Sexual harassment includes a range of behaviors and may involve persons of the same or different gender or sexual orientation. These behaviors include sexual jokes and innuendos; repeated and unwanted social invitations for dates; verbal abuse; suggestive comments about a person’s body, sexual prowess, or sexual deficiencies; insulting or obscene comments or gestures; sharing of sexually suggestive objects or pictures; and other physical, verbal, or visual conduct of a sexual nature. St. George Community Development Corporation considers sexual or romantic advances or innuendos by persons in a supervisory or authoritative role toward subordinates within the same department or chain of command, or by persons having authority over staffing, volunteer or salary decisions, to be harassment for which disciplinary action will be taken.
Applicability
This policy applies to all St. George Community Development Corporation employees, members of the St. George Community Development Corporation Board and Advisory Board, volunteers, independent contractors, service providers, donors, and members of the public involved in St. George Community Development Corporation activities.
As a remote organization, three key areas of conduct are particularly important: electronic and phone communications, business travel, and programs or events.
St. George Community Development Corporation shall ensure that its zero-tolerance policy is reflected throughout the organization, including in policies and at St. George Community Development Corporation programs and events. Specifically, no employee or volunteer will be required to be in a position or any other person that would result in their feeling vulnerable or unsafe.
It is the responsibility of every board member and employee to ensure all of his or her volunteers are aware of this policy. Nothing in any non disclosure agreement signed by St. George Community Development Corporation employees or volunteers shall be viewed as prohibiting reporting of conduct that violates this policy, whether internally to St. George Community Development Corporation or to an outside law enforcement organization.
Because St. George Community Development Corporation has a zero-tolerance policy towards general harassment, bullying, sexual harassment, and discriminatory conduct, violations of this policy can be grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment or volunteering responsibilities.
Complaint and Investigation Process
People who believe they or others have been the victims of actions prohibited by this policy or who have witnessed such conduct must report it. St. George Community Development Corporation is open to and encourages prompt and full reporting of all perceived incidents of discrimination or harassment to any board member or employee. Issues and incidents may also be reported anonymously. This includes not only communications from victims of improper or questionable conduct but also bystanders who witness harassment of another person.
St. George Community Development Corporation is committed to open communication, transparency and a workplace where all can speak their truth without fear of reprisal. As a result, St. George Community Development Corporation encourages people who believe they or others are being subjected to such conduct to promptly advise the offender that his or her behavior is unwelcome and tell them to stop (including refraining from similar actions in the future). Regardless of whether these actions are taken, employees and volunteers always are equally free to pursue the matter with the Board.
The most effective way to ensure that the St. George Community Development Corporation workplace and events remains a zero-tolerance environment for inappropriate behavior is to promptly address and report complaints or concerns. However, no fixed reporting period exists for perceived harassment, and all claims of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation will be promptly and thoroughly investigated.
In any such investigation, interviews with the parties involved may be conducted, as well as interviews with persons who may have observed the alleged conduct or may have other relevant knowledge.