Harassment on the basis of a person's sex by a supervisor,
coworker or other person is a discriminatory practice which violates
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and regulations passed by
the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Aside from
being illegal, sexual harassment undermines the integrity of individual
work relationships and damages the morale of the entire work force.
It is the policy of this government that all employees are entitled
to work in an environment free from all forms of illegal discrimination,
including that which is based upon a person's sex. Accordingly,
any practice or activity which constitutes sexual harassment is strictly
forbidden within Village workplaces and shall, if substantiated in
accordance with this policy, result in disciplinary action.
Sexual harassment is a serious violation of the work rules of
this government and, if proven, shall be grounds for the imposition
of discipline. Potential sanctions for the offense shall range from
a minimum of a five-day suspension without pay to termination, depending
upon the following:
A. The individual facts of any given case; and
B. The employment record of the person committing such harassment.
Any employee who believes that another employee is engaging
in sexual harassment may file a complaint within a reasonable period
of time after the event (normally not more than 180 days).
No person filing a complaint under this policy or who legitimately
assists another in the prosecution of any such complaint shall be
subjected to retribution or retaliation of any kind for doing so.
Due to the serious and private nature of this offense, false
accusations of sexual harassment are and will be treated as a disciplinary
offense and will result in the same level of punishment as that applied
to one who engages in such behavior.