ACC is committed to a workplace free of discrimination and harassment based on race, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, genetic predisposition, genetic carrier status, or any other legally protected characteristic. Offensive and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated against any employee or member. This policy covers vendors, customers, contractors, members and other guests, as well as employees. Harassment (both overt and subtle) is a form of misconduct that is demeaning to another person and undermines the integrity of the relationship. Harassment can take many forms. Some examples of impermissible behavior include making fun of an individual’s religious beliefs, using racially biased epithets, referring to foreign-born individuals using derogatory stereotypes, or making jokes implying that a person’s age makes him/her less capable than younger workers. Other examples of prohibited harassment include engaging in threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts based on a legally protected characteristic or displaying or circulating in the workplace written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group based on a legally protected characteristic. Sexual harassment also is illegal and contrary to the policy of ACC National. ACC strives to foster an environment free of sexual discrimination, intimidation, exploitation and insult.
Offensive and inappropriate conduct may include, but not be limited to:
· Offensive physical actions, written or spoken, and graphic communication that may include verbal abuse of a sexual nature, suggestive comments about an individual’s dress or body, sexual flirtations, touching, advances or propositions or sexually degrading words to describe an individual.
· Any type of physical contact when the action is unwelcome by the recipient.
· Expectations, requests, demands or pressure for sexual favors.
· Engaging in derogatory stereotypes about members of a particular gender.
· Slurs, jokes, posters, cartoons, and gestures that are offensive including displaying, storing or transmitting pornographic or sexually oriented materials using ACC equipment or facilities.
Any such offensive and inappropriate conduct will be considered a prohibited form of harassment when any of the following are true:
· There is a promise or implied promise of preferential treatment or negative consequence regarding employment decisions or status. Employment decisions or status may include wages, performance reviews, promotions, work assignments and projects, training, benefits, employment with ACC, or similar issues.
· Such conduct has the effect of creating an intimidating or hostile or offensive work environment, or unreasonably interferes with a person’s work performance.
· A third party is offended by the sexual conduct or communications of others.
Harassment is considered a form of employee misconduct. As such, appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination, will be taken against any employee engaging in this type of behavior. Any member of management who has knowledge of such behavior, yet takes no action to end it, is also subject to appropriate disciplinary action. This policy also forbids retaliation against anyone who has reported harassment.
Complaint Procedure
Any person who believes that he or she is the victim of any type of discriminatory conduct, including sexual or other forms of harassment, or that another ACC employee has been the subject of discrimination, should promptly advise the Chapter President of that fact. If the employee feels uncomfortable discussing the issue with the Chapter President, the employee should contact another member of ACC’s leadership team. ACC prohibits any kind of retaliatory act against an individual who has complained about discrimination or assisted in the investigation of a discrimination complaint, or engaged in any other legally protected conduct.
ACC will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of all the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident, and will keep the complaint and investigation confidential to the extent practicable. If the investigation leads ACC to conclude that an individual has committed an act of discrimination, that individual will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination of Chapter service. If an employee is determined to have submitted a complaint that is based on information the employee knows to be false or that is not based on a good faith, reasonable belief in the report’s truth and accuracy, that employee will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.
Anti-Retaliation Protections
ACC strictly forbids retaliation against any employee for exercising a legal right, for making a complaint in good faith about perceived unlawful behavior (either internally or to an appropriate governmental authority), or for providing truthful information in an internal or governmental investigation. Employees should promptly bring any concerns about potential retaliation or illegal conduct to the Chapter President or other members of ACC’s leadership team. ACC will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of all the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident(s), and will keep the complaint and investigation confidential to the extent practicable. If wrongdoing is discovered, ACC will take appropriate corrective and disciplinary action.