The Town of Pawling, New York, a municipal corporation, with offices
located at 160 Charles Coleman Boulevard, Pawling, New York 12564, is committed
to maintaining a collegial work environment in which all individuals are treated
with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional
atmosphere which promotes equal opportunities and prohibits discriminatory
practices, including sexual harassment, whether verbal, physical or arising
out of the work environment and whether in the office, at work assignments
outside the office, at town-sponsored social functions or at other work-related
settings, which is unacceptable and will not be to tolerated. It is also illegal.
This policy covers all employees. The town will not tolerate sexual harassment no matter who is involved. The town encourages reporting of all incidents of sexual harassment, regardless of who the offender might be, in accordance with the method set out in §
50-4 below.
In the event that the reporting individual does not wish to pursue the
informal procedure, or in the event that the informal procedure does not produce
a result satisfactory to the reporting individual, the following steps should
be followed to report the sexual harassment complaint and to initiate a formal
procedure:
A. Notification of a member of the staff.
(1) An individual who believes he or she has been subjected
to sexual harassment should report the incident to the Town Supervisor.
(2) An individual also has the option of reporting the harassment
to his/her supervisor, if any. In such a case, the supervisor must file a
written report of the complaint and its resolution with the Town Supervisor.
B. Description of misconduct.
(1) An accurate record of objectionable behavior is necessary
to resolve a formal complaint of sexual harassment.
(2) All oral reports of sexual harassment must be reduced
to writing by either the complainant or the individual(s) designated to receive
complaints.
C. Time for reporting a complaint.
(1) Prompt reporting of complaints is strongly encouraged,
as it allows for rapid response and resolution of objectionable behavior or
conditions for the complaining individual and any other affected employee.
(2) The town has chosen not to impose a limited time frame
for the reporting of sexual harassment complaints. However, the reporting
individual should be aware that applicable statutes of limitations do constrain
the time for instituting outside legal action.
D. Protection against retaliation. The town will not retaliate
against an individual who makes a report of sexual harassment, nor permit
any supervisor or employee of the town to do so. Retaliation is a very serious
violation of this policy and should be reported immediately. Any person found
to have retaliated against an individual for reporting sexual harassment will
be subject to appropriate disciplinary procedures described below.
The town has developed this policy to ensure that all of its employees
can work in an environment free from sexual harassment.
The town welcomes suggestions, thoughts and new ideas for consideration.