Sexual Harassment Policy

It is against the policy of the Sheridan Public Library for any employee to sexually harass another employee. Sexual harassment or sex-based harassment occurs when unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature (1) becomes a condition of an employee’s continued employment, (2) affects other employment decisions regarding the employee, or (3) creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.

Sexual and sex-based harassment may include but is not limited to:

• Requests for sexual favors;

• Unwanted physical contact, including touching, pinching, or brushing the body;

• Verbal harassment, such as sexual innuendoes, suggestive comments, jokes of a sexual nature, sexual propositions, and threats;

• Non-verbal conduct, such as display of sexually suggestive objects or pictures, leering, whistling, or obscene gestures; and

• Acts of physical aggression, intimidation, hostility, threats, or unequal treatment based on sex (even if not sexual in nature).

Any employee who believes he or she has been sexually harassed in violation of this policy should report the conduct immediately to his or her supervisor; or, if that person is responsible for the sexual harassment, to the President of the Board of Library Trustees. The employee always has the option of reporting the conduct directly to the President of the Board of Library Trustees if he or she prefers.

A thorough and impartial investigation of all complaints of sexual harassment will be conducted in a timely and confidential manner. Any employee of the library who has been found, after appropriate investigation, to have harassed another employee in violation of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination.