Sexual Harassment
The Metropolitan Government prohibits sexual harassment of any employee. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when:
- submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment, or
- submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual, or
- such conduct has the purpose of substantially interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment
Sexual harassment can take many forms. It is not limited to overt physical acts. Suggestive comments, jokes of a sexual nature, sexually suggestive objects or pictures, obscene gestures, sexually graphic stories, as well as unwanted touching, may all constitute sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment of any employee will not be tolerated. No employee will be allowed to sexually harass, either verbally or physically, another employee; nor shall any supervisor allow the harassment of any of his/her employees, either by other employees or by persons not employed by Metro Government. It will be the responsibility of managers and supervisors to take all steps necessary to enforce the provisions of this policy. Any complaint of harassment will be promptly investigated and corrective and/or disciplinary action taken if the charges are found to be true.
Action can only be taken when managers and supervisors have knowledge of sexually harassing conduct. Employees have a duty to inform managers and supervisors when they observe or they are aware of improper sexual conduct exhibited by a Metropolitan Government employee. This obligation to inform includes improper conduct committed by non-government employees if the conduct is directed toward government employees.