Sexual Harassment As stated in the Equal Employment Opportunity Guidelines, sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: • Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly as a term or condition of an individual’s employment, or • Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, 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. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 recognizes two types of sexual harassment: quid pro quo and hostile work environment. Reporting Procedure Employees who believe they have been subjected to incidents of discrimination, harassment or retaliation or believe that they have witnessed such conduct by anyone, including a manager, supervisor, co-worker, employee, contractor, vendor, customer or visitor should immediately report the matter to a supervisor or manager or the Human Resources Director. The VOP will promptly investigate all allegations of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. This may include individual interviews with the parties involved and, where necessary, with individuals who may have observed the alleged conduct or may have other relevant knowledge. The Village will maintain confidentiality throughout the investigatory process, as allowed by state law, to the extent consistent with adequate investigation and appropriate corrective action. Any employee who is determined, after such an investigation, to have engaged in harassment, discrimination or retaliation in violation of VOP policy will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Furthermore, retaliation in any form against any person who exercises their right to make a legitimate complaint or who cooperates in the investigation of such complaints, is strictly prohibited and will be cause for appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination. If the employee feels that a supervisor or member of management has acted inconsistently with the policy, or if the employee feels that their complaint has not been handled to their satisfaction, the employee should contact the Human Resources Director and may appeal to the Village Manager. An employee should not assume that the VOP is aware of a problem. Failure to report potentials claims of harassment, discrimination or retaliation hampers the VOP’s ability to take necessary steps to remedy such situations. It is every employee’s responsibility to bring complaints and concerns to the VOP’s attention so the problem can be resolved. Refer to the Nondiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy or the Ethics Policy for additional details. Secondary Police Employment Police officers may work for other employers during non-working hours that may require a sworn police officer to make an arrest as part of the job responsibilities. This work may not interfere with your duties
Village of Pinehurst Employee Handbook – Updated January 2025
15|Page
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