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F2
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT
Approved: 01/26/2006
Revised: 7/28/2016

 

Purpose
It is the policy of the Ypsilanti District Library (YDL) that the workplace be free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, whether verbal, physical, or environmental.

YDL will not tolerate discrimination against its employees. YDL prohibits sexual or other types of harassment and/or discrimination based upon a person’s membership in any class protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or any applicable federal, state, or local law or ordinance. These classes include age, sex, marital status, race, creed, national origin, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, disability, and political or union affiliation. The Library’s workplace must be one in which all employees are treated with dignity and respect by supervisors, subordinates, and co-workers. Furthermore, YDL will not tolerate reprisals against those who file good faith discrimination and/or harassment complaints.

Individuals Covered by This Policy
Any YDL employee, no matter what classification, will be covered by this policy.

Definitions
Discrimination is generally defined as different or disparate treatment of those who are similarly situated, or where there is a disparate impact on those within a protected classification.

Harassment is generally defined as verbal/non-verbal, written, and/or physical conduct that denigrates, humiliates, or shows hostility or aversion towards another individual based on a protected characteristic. The conduct must be subjectively offensive to the person against whom it is directed. The conduct must also be objectively offensive in that a reasonable person would find it offensive.

Prohibited harassment may occur when:

  • Submission to or tolerance of such conduct is either explicitly or implicitly made a condition of employment;
  • Submission to or tolerance of (or in the case of sexual harassment, rejection of) such conduct by an employee is used as a basis for employment decisions such as promotions, assignment, demotion, discipline, or discharge;
  • Such conduct has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment by unreasonably interfering with an employee’s work performance or otherwise adversely affecting an individual’s employment opportunities.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

  • Verbal: epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping, jokes, sexual innuendo, suggestive comments, insults, threats, comments about an individual and/or his/her body or other sexual matters, or other verbally threatening, intimidating, hostile or offensive acts relating to an individual’s protected characteristics.
  • Nonverbal: pictures, making suggestive or insulting noises, staring or leering, whistling, gestures, touching, pinching, impeding movement, or other non-verbal threatening, intimidating, hostile or offensive acts relating to an individual’s protected characteristics.
  • Visual: poems, letters, cartoons, photographs, or other visual or physical renderings that denigrate or show hostility or aversion toward another person because of his/her inclusion within a protected classification.

Complaints of Unlawful Harassment/Discrimination
The Library Director or the Director’s designee is the chief contact relative to matters of discrimination and harassment at YDL.

If any employee or individual covered by this policy believes that he/she has been subjected to any type of harassment and/or discrimination prohibited by this policy, he/she shall report the conduct or incident at once to their immediate supervisor or the Library Director. The report may be written or oral. If the supervisor is the subject of or in any way involved in the complaint, the report may be made to the Library Director. If the Library Director is the subject of or in any way involved in the complaint, then the complaint may be reported to the President of the Board of Trustees.

Supervisors who become aware of harassment and/or discrimination shall report it immediately to the Library Director, or if the Library Director is involved, to the President of the Board of Trustees.

Investigation of Complaints
The Library Director or the Director’s designee is the chief investigator for claims of alleged discrimination and harassment at YDL. If the Library Director is the subject of a complaint of alleged discrimination or harassment, the Board of Trustees shall select the investigator.

When a complaint of discrimination or harassment is received, the Library will promptly investigate the allegation in a fair and expeditious manner. The investigation will include private interviews with the complainant and witnesses. The investigation shall also include an interview with the person alleged to have committed discrimination or harassment prohibited pursuant to this policy. When the investigation is complete, the Library will, to the extent appropriate, inform the complainant and the person alleged to have committed the conduct of the results of the investigation.

If it has been determined that inappropriate conduct has occurred, the Library will act promptly to eliminate the offending conduct, and where it is appropriate, the Library will also impose disciplinary action.

Confidentiality
All information relative to a complaint of alleged discriminatory action or harassment will be kept confidential on a “need to know” basis only.

No Retaliation
Employees who report alleged discrimination or harassment in good faith will not be disciplined or retaliated against for making the report. Employees found to have knowingly and deliberately provided false information may be subjected to discipline.

Employees who have witnessed discrimination or harassment will not be disciplined or retaliated against for reporting such conduct or for cooperating in an investigation.

Any employee who retaliates against any person who reports alleged discrimination or harassment or against anyone who participates in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing related to such a report will be disciplined.