September 3, 2024
Policy Statement on Harassing Conduct in the Workplace
U.S. Department of Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL or Department) must strive to be a model workplace where public servants, drawn from the full diversity of our Nation, are cultivated to their highest potential and treated equitably and with respect. We must recognize that the Department achieves its mission most effectively when all employees, including those from historically underserved communities, such as Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native American, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander persons and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; women and girls; LGBTQI+ persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; persons who live in United States Territories; persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality; and individuals who belong to multiple such communities, are supported in their professional development through inclusion in advancement opportunities and programs that equitably serve all DOL employees. One way we can do this is to build and maintain a workplace where we uphold policies and practices to prevent, report, investigate and appropriately resolve allegations of harassing conduct. To create a workplace culture that acknowledges the harm of harassing conduct and promotes accountability when acting to resolve harassment or other forms of discrimination or retaliation, we must engage with intention and promote mechanisms to report misconduct. Furthermore, DOL does not condone retaliation against any employee for reporting harassing conduct, including witnesses or bystanders, and will address training and education needs of managers, supervisors, and employees in recognizing conduct that may be in violation of the Department’s policy.
The Department has established its comprehensive anti-harassment program in Department of Labor Management Series (DLMS) 6 – Chapter 300, Policy & Procedures for Preventing & Eliminating Harassing Conduct in the Workplace (Policy & Procedures). The Policy & Procedures broaden the scope of prohibited conduct in order to promptly address and mitigate discriminatory and biased behavior before it rises to the level of unlawful harassment. The Department strives to prevent and eliminate harassing conduct at the earliest possible stage before it becomes “severe or pervasive,” i.e., before the conduct violates the law.
The Department defines harassing conduct as any unwelcome verbal, written, or physical conduct that is based on race (including race-related characteristics, which may include an individual’s grooming and hair), color, ancestry (including ancestry-related characteristics, which may include an individual’s dress), national origin (including ethnicity, accent, use of a language other than English, and immigration experience), religion or religious creed (including reasonable accommodation of religious beliefs, observances, or practices), actual physical or mental disability, a history of a disability, or being regarded as having a disability (including reasonable accommodation of physical or mental disability), medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, abortion, and related medical conditions and reasonable accommodation relating to pregnancy and related conditions), sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, gender expression, intersex traits, sex stereotyping (including status as a survivor of gender-based violence and harassment), sex characteristics, age (40 and up), parental status, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, political affiliation or belief, or any other prohibited factor, and/or retaliation for engaging in protected Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) activity (e.g., filing or participating in a complaint or otherwise opposing discrimination, including harassment; requesting a reasonable accommodation). Harassment includes behaviors that can reasonably be considered to adversely affect the work environment, particularly if allowed to continue (that is, potentially giving rise to a “hostile work environment”). Harassment also includes “quid pro quo harassment,” conduct that generally results in a tangible employment decision based upon acceptance or rejection of advances or requests for sexual or other favors. The Policy & Procedures provide examples of prohibited behaviors including, but not limited to, the use of microaggressions or the everyday, subtle, intentional, or unintentional interactions that may be offensive, demeaning, or biased towards members of historically disenfranchised communities.
The Department also prohibits retaliation against any employee for reporting harassing conduct, cooperating with or participating in any investigation of alleged harassing conduct, or otherwise engaging in protected activity. Aggrieved individuals or alleged victims—and any witnesses participating in this process—should feel assured that the Department will act with sensitivity and uphold confidentiality to the greatest extent possible.
The Department is committed to taking prompt and effective action against harassing conduct when the Department is appropriately notified of this behavior. Effective prevention includes training and other efforts in which we respectfully seek to understand and support colleagues who may be more likely to experience harassing conduct based on protected characteristics. The Department prohibits harassing conduct at every level in the organization, including when the conduct is committed by administrators, supervisors, managers, co-workers, contractors, clients, or customers, and could offend an employee even if they are not the intended target. The Department prohibits harassing conduct in a variety of contexts, including off-site or off-duty, during official travel or at a work event, or even using social media.
Employees or contract employees engaged in DOL workspaces who believe that they have been directly or indirectly subjected to or have witnessed any harassing conduct should promptly report the matter to a person in their supervisory chain and/or to Contact WECO | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov). Any applicants for employment with the Department who believe that they have been subjected to harassing conduct during the application process should report the incident to the WECO for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM). The Department’s harassment policy applies equally to employees, applicants for employment, and DOL contract employees.
Supervisors and managers who observe or are informed of allegations of harassing conduct must act promptly and appropriately to address and mitigate harassing behavior. The Department will take appropriate corrective action against a supervisor or management official who fails to report allegations of harassing conduct or perform their obligations as set forth in the Policy & Procedures. To the extent permitted by law, the Department will also take appropriate corrective action against individuals who engage in harassing conduct, which may include training or counseling, or disciplinary action up to and including removal, depending on the circumstances of the harassment. In certain circumstances, the Department will determine whether to provide interim relief to employees who have been subjected to alleged harassing conduct while an inquiry is pending to ensure that further misconduct does not occur. When responding to allegations of harassing conduct, the Department will strive to act in a manner that is trauma-informed; that is, the Department will interact with alleged victims in a manner that recognizes the stress of perceived harassment while nonetheless pursuing neutral and objective investigative inquiries.
Filing a harassing conduct complaint does not replace an employee’s EEO or other rights, including the right to file a negotiated or administrative grievance. Employees are not precluded from filing EEO complaints (or negotiated or administrative grievances) concerning allegations of harassment while also filing a harassing conduct complaint with their agency’s WECO. Reporting harassing conduct under the Policy & Procedures described above does not constitute filing an EEO complaint with the Civil Rights Center and does not pause the timeframe for timely filing an EEO complaint.
As the Acting Secretary of Labor, I am committed to creating an environment that encourages and supports all Department personnel, including management, staff at all levels, non-career appointees, and contract employees, to report when they experience, are witness to, or are made aware of alleged discriminatory, biased, or harassing conduct. When we work collectively towards empowering our employees, the Department benefits. We will succeed in our efforts to eliminate harassment if we promote awareness, steadfastly commit to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), and take swift action to hold accountable those who engage in harassing behavior contrary to these articulated standards that improve our ability to serve the American public.
JULIE A. SU
Acting Secretary of Labor