Employee / Volunteer Policies

Bold Iowa WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION Policy Statement

Bold Iowa does not tolerate any type of workplace violence from any person involved in Bold Iowa operations, including, but not limited to employees, volunteers, contractors, and visitors. Acts or threats of physical violence – whether express or implied – that involve or affect Bold Iowa, its personnel or property, or which occur on company property, will not be tolerated.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide a safe and healthy workplace for all employees and anyone else doing business with Bold Iowa. Prohibited violence is any conduct that is severe, offensive, or intimidating enough to make an individual reasonably fear for their personal safety or the safety of family, friends, or property.

The following list of specific behaviors, while not inclusive, provides examples of conduct that is prohibited:

  • Making threatening remarks about potential acts of violence
  • Hitting, pushing, or similar contact with an individual, regardless of whether injury results
  • Threatening an individual or their family, friends, or property, with harm of any type
  • Aggressive or hostile behavior that creates a reasonable fear of injury to another person
  • The intentional destruction or threat of destruction of company property or that of another employee
  • Possession of a firearm on Bold Iowa premises or at Bold Iowa events or functions
  • The use of any weapon (or threat thereof) by or against employees, volunteers, or visitors on Bold Iowa premises or during Bold Iowa functions
  • Harassing or threatening phone calls, electronic mail, or mail sent to an individual’s home or office

Procedures

  • Employees and volunteers should report immediately incidents of workplace violence as defined by this policy. The report should be made to the Bold Iowa director or a Bold Iowa board member.
  • All reported incidents will be taken seriously and will be addressed appropriately. Reports requiring confidentiality will be handled appropriately and information will be disclosed to others only on a need-to-know basis. However, complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
  • Violators of this policy are subject to corrective action, up to and including termination of employment or removal of the volunteer from their position.
  • Retaliation against anyone for good faith reporting of an actual or suspected violation of this policy will not be tolerated and will be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination.

 

Unlawful Harassment

Bold Iowa is committed to providing a work environment that is free of discrimination and will not tolerate unlawful harassment of its employees or volunteers by others, including supervisors, volunteers, or coworkers. Harassment is unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or veteran status, or any other factor that is a prohibited consideration under applicable law.

Harassment becomes unlawful where (a) enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment, or (b) the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive. Examples of conduct that might constitute harassment include:

  • Crude or offensive language, offensive jokes, slurs, epithets or name calling, ridicule or mockery, insults or put-downs, offensive objects or pictures, and interference with work performance
  • Sending emails containing offensive content
  • Physical assaults or threats, intimidation
  • Ostracizing workers due to their membership in protected groups defined in this policy

Petty slights, annoyances, and isolated incidents (unless extremely serious) will not rise to the level of illegality. To be unlawful, the conduct must create a work environment that would be intimidating, hostile, or offensive to reasonable people.

 

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination and is therefore prohibited. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature, when:

  • Submission to such conduct is either an explicit or implicit term or condition of employment or volunteer involvement.
  • Submission to or rejection of the conduct is used as a basis for making employment or volunteer involvement decisions (e.g., hiring, promotion, or termination).
  • The conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
  • While it is not possible to list all those additional circumstances that may constitute sexual harassment, the following are some examples of conduct which, if unwelcome, may constitute sexual harassment depending upon the totality of the circumstances including the severity of the conduct and its pervasiveness:
    • Unwelcome sexual advances – whether they involve physical touching or not;
    • Sexual epithets, jokes, written or oral references to sexual conduct, gossip regarding one’s sex life; comment on an individual’s body, comment about an individual’s sexual activity, deficiencies, or prowess
    • Displaying or distributing sexually suggestive objects, pictures, or cartoons
    • Unwelcome leering, whistling, brushing against the body, sexual gestures, suggestive or insulting comments
    • Inquiries into one’s sexual experiences
    • Discussion of one’s sexual activities

 

Online Harassment

It is particularly important to recognize that all employees are accountable for anything written or presented online. Commentary, content, or images that are defamatory, pornographic, harassing, or that otherwise create a hostile work environment, will not be tolerated. Employees should also be cautious when engaging in personal social networking, as it may violate Bold Iowa’s anti-harassment policy if it causes a negative impact in the workplace.

 

Bullying

Bullying may rise to the level of harassment and is therefore prohibited. Bullying is defined as unwelcome or unreasonable behavior that demeans, intimidates, or humiliates people, either as individuals or as a group. Bullying behavior is often persistent and part of a pattern, but it can also occur as a single incident.

Some examples of bullying behavior are: abusive and offensive language, insults, teasing, and spreading rumors. It can also include a manipulation of the work environment or psychological manipulation.

 

Procedures

Violations of Bold Iowa’s harassment and discrimination policy will not be tolerated. Any employee or volunteer who is found to have violated this policy will be subject to corrective action up to and including termination of employment or volunteer position. Any employee or volunteer who feels that they have been discriminated against in an employment  or volunteer placement decision, is a victim of discrimination or harassment prohibited under this policy, or has witnessed such discrimination or harassment, is obligated to immediately report the matter to the Bold Iowa director or a Bold Iowa board member.

Reports of discrimination or harassment received by Bold Iowa will be promptly and thoroughly investigated, and appropriate remedial action will be taken, if necessary. All employees and volunteers have an obligation to cooperate in such investigations. To the extent possible, Bold Iowa will attempt to protect the confidentiality of employees, volunteers, and those involved in the investigation against unnecessary disclosure, but cannot guarantee such confidentiality.

 

Retaliation Prohibited

Bold Iowa requires the reporting of all perceived incidents of discrimination and/or harassment, and it is policy to investigate such reports. Bold Iowa prohibits retaliation against any individual who reports discrimination or harassment or participates in an investigation of such report.