Sexual Harassment Policy

 

TERREBONNE PORT COMMISSION

1. PURPOSE:  To establish a policy on the prohibition against sexual harassment, to define sexual harassment, to outline employee expectations and to provide procedures for filing complaints.

2. APPLICABILITY: This policy shall apply to all employees of the Terrebonne Port Commission, (hereinafter TPC) including part-time employees.

3. GENERAL POLICY:  It is the policy of TPC to maintain a work environment free from sexual harassment among its employees.  TPC does not tolerate sexual harassment in the workplace or during any TPC-related activity and/or in work-related settings outside of the workplace, such as business trips, business meetings and business-related social events.  Engagement by any employee in any form of sexual harassment is prohibited and shall not be tolerated.

4. DEFINITIONS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Sexual harassment – Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, regardless of the gender when:

  1. Submission to the conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of the individual’s employment;
  2. Submission to, or rejection of the conduct by an individual is used as a basis of employment decisions affecting the individual;
  3. The conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with the individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment; or
  4. The behavior persists despite objection by the person to whom the conduct is directed.

Unwelcome actions such as the following are inappropriate and depending on the circumstances, may in and of themselves meet the definition of sexual harassment or contribute to a hostile work environment:

  1. Sexual pranks or repeated sexual teasing, jokes or innuendo;
  2. Lewd comments about an individual’s body;
  3. Unwanted and/or unnecessary touching;

5. REPORTING PROCEDURE: When an employee has reason to believe that he or she has been the subject of a discriminating work environment because of sexual harassment of advances, the employee shall promptly report the incident to their supervisor or to the Chairman of the Board of Director.  No retaliation in any form shall be tolerated toward an employee for reporting in good faith such incident.

6. INVESTIGATION:  When an allegation of sexual harassment has been received, immediate and appropriate steps will be taken to ensure that the matter is promptly investigated and addressed.