Harassment Policy Tips

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• State that harassment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, disability, age (40 or older) or genetic information (including family medical history) is illegal and will not be tolerated. Provide definitions and examples of prohibited conduct, as needed.*
• Explain how employees can report harassment.
  • If possible, designate at least one person outside an employee's chain of command who can receive harassment complaints.
  • Consider permitting employees to report harassment to any manager.
• State that you will protect the confidentiality of employees who report harassment or participate in a harassment investigation, to the greatest possible extent.
• State that employees will not be punished for reporting harassment or participating in a harassment investigation or lawsuit.
• Require managers and other employees with human resources responsibilities to respond appropriately to harassment or to report it to individuals who are authorized to respond.
• Provide for prompt, thorough and impartial investigation of harassment complaints.
• Provide for prompt and effective corrective and preventative action when necessary.
• Consider requiring that employees who file internal complaints be notified about the status of their complaint, the results of the investigation and any corrective and preventative action taken.
• Describe the consequences of violating the harassment policy.

* Federal, state and local laws may prohibit additional types of harassment. Federal, state and local government websites may have additional information about these laws.

See also:

How can I prevent harassment? 

General Non-Discrimination Policy Tips

Reasonable Accommodation Policy  Tips

Leave Policy Tips