It is illegal and against the policies of the Hall County Library System for any employee, male or female, to sexually harass another employee by (a) making unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors or other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature a condition of an employee’s continued employment, or (b) making submission to or rejections of such conduct the basis for employment decisions affecting the employee, or (c) creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment by such conduct.

No person shall threaten or insinuate, either explicitly or implicitly, that an employee’s refusal to submit to sexual advances will adversely affect the employee’s employment, evaluation, wages, advancement, assigned duties, shifts or any other condition of employment or career development.

Any employee who believes he or she has been the subject of sexual harassment should report the alleged act immediately to their immediate supervisor or appropriate supervisor. Upon receiving a complaint, the library director must be notified and an investigation of all complaints will be undertaken immediately. Employees have the right to appeal the findings of such investigations in accordance with the appeals process. Any supervisor, agent, or other employee who has been found by the library system, after appropriate investigation, to have sexually harassed another employee will be subject to appropriate sanctions, depending on the circumstances, from a warning in his or her file up to and including termination.

It is the responsibility of each supervisor, manager, and administrator to maintain the work place free of sexual harassment. This duty includes discussing and reviewing this policy with all employees and assuring them that they are not to endure insulting, degrading, or exploitive sexual treatment. If any supervisor, manager, or administrator becomes aware of or suspects sexual harassment, it is their official duty to immediately report such information to the library director.

The library system recognizes that the question of whether a particular action or incident is a purely personal, social relationship without a discriminatory employment effect requires a factual determination based on all facts pertaining the incident. Given the nature of this type of discrimination, the library system recognizes also that false accusations of sexual harassment can cause serious effects on innocent women and men. False accusations will result in severe disciplinary action up to and including termination. We trust that all employees of the library system will continue to act responsibly to maintain a pleasant working environment free of discrimination. The library system encourages any employee to raise questions he or she may have regarding discrimination or affirmative action to the director or appropriate supervisor.