ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY

We, Wheeler Committee, are committed to creating a respectful and safe work environment for every individual that works on this campaign, including independent contractors, volunteers, vendors, consultants, fundraisers, interns and candidates (“Campaign Workers”). 

The Wheeler Committee does not tolerate harassment, bullying, or discrimination of any kind, in the workplace or in work-related situations. To achieve an environment that is free of harassment, bullying and discrimination, it is essential that Campaign Workers feel comfortable raising complaints about harassment or other misconduct when they see or experience it. Therefore, the Wheeler Committee strictly prohibits any form of retaliation against a Campaign Worker who reports or assists in reporting a concern regarding a violation of this Policy.

Who Is Covered

This Policy applies to all individuals that work on this campaign, including but not limited to candidates, campaign staff, independent contractors, volunteers, vendors, consultants, and fundraisers. Everyone who works on this campaign is responsible for following and upholding this policy. The Wheeler Committee is committed to protecting its Campaign Workers against all harassment, discrimination, and bullying, regardless of the source. Therefore, Campaign Workers should report all instances of harassment or bullying - even if committed by non-campaign staff.

Managers, supervisors, and any other individuals with supervisory authority must report suspected violations of this Policy, when they become aware of such a violation. Managers and supervisors may become aware of a violation when they are explicitly told about the violation, when they hear about a violation indirectly, or when they witness a violation. In each scenario, the manager or supervisor must bring the suspected violation to the designated reporting contact.

Application of the Policy

The Policy applies to any interactions involving Campaign Workers, regardless of whether the conduct occurs in the office, in the field, at work-related social events, fundraising events, or parties. This Policy also applies to electronic transmissions, such as email and text messages, as well as postings on social media.

Prohibition Against Harassment

This Policy prohibits harassment. For the purposes of this Policy, harassment is conduct that creates a disrespectful, intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for a Campaign Worker based on that Campaign Worker’s protected status. “Protected status” includes the following: race, color, ethnic or national origin; age; religion or religious creed (or belief, where applicable); sex, including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions; sexual orientation; gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, or sexual stereotypes; nationality, immigration status, citizenship, or ancestry; marital status; protected military or veteran status; physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member); political views or activity; or status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

For the purposes of this Policy, sexual harassment is any harassment specifically based on sex that a reasonable similarly-situated person would find offensive, demeaning, or would make them feel uncomfortable. To be clear, this Policy prohibits harassment based on sex, even if it does not rise to the level of illegality under state and federal law. Note that sexual harassment can happen regardless of gender, gender identity, or gender expression. This means that sexual harassment can occur between same-sex individuals as well as opposite-sex individuals, and does not require that the harassment be motivated by sexual desire.

While not an exhaustive list, harassment can include the following types of conduct:

  • Derogatory or insensitive jokes, comments or pranks; 

  • Sharing the derogatory or insensitive jokes, comments or pranks from others;

  • Use of slurs or epithets;

  • Inappropriate familiarity, invasive questions about personal lives or relationships;

  • Unwelcome sexual or romantic advances or invitations (including asking a Campaign Worker out more than once if the Campaign Worker declines the first invitation);

  • Displaying or sharing images such as posters, videos, photos, cartoons, screensavers, emails or drawings that are derogatory or sexual;

  • Comments about appearance, or other personal or physical characteristics, even if it is about other people; or

  • Unwanted bodily contact such as groping or massaging, blocking normal movement, unnecessary touching, or physically interfering with the work of another individual.

Prohibition Against Bullying

This Policy prohibits bullying. Bullying is repeated behavior that a reasonable Campaign Worker would find disrespectful, intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive, regardless of whether the conduct is based on a campaign Worker’s protected status.

While this is not an exhaustive list, bullying behavior can appear as the following:

  • Excessive monitoring or micromanaging of a Campaign Worker;

  • Deliberately excluding a Campaign Worker or isolating him or her from work-related activities that he or she would normally be included in;

  • Singling out a Campaign Worker for unfavorable work assignments or demands;

  • Regularly teasing or making a Campaign Worker the brunt of pranks or practical jokes;

  • Publicly reprimanding, embarrassing or shouting at a Campaign Worker.

Prohibition Against Discrimination

This Policy prohibits discrimination. For the purposes of this Policy, discrimination occurs when a Campaign Worker is treated differently than his or her peers based on his or her protected status as enumerated above.

Discriminatory behavior can appear as the following:

  • Adopting policies that disproportionately affect individuals of a certain protected status;

  • Assigning responsibilities based on an individual’s protected status

  • Sending or displaying hate symbols such as nooses and cross burning; or

  • Excluding certain individuals from work-related events or opportunities based on their protected status.

Role of Bystanders

Bystanders should speak up if they see or hear something that they believe violates the Policy, or something that they think is inappropriate, including suspected instances of retaliation. Bystanders are encouraged to intervene on the spot when they see inappropriate behavior unless doing so would risk the bystander’s physical safety. If bystanders do not believe that they can safely intervene - for example, if the offender is threatening violence - bystanders are expected to call law enforcement.

The Wheeler Committee also encourages bystanders to engage with the victim to see if he or she would like to report the violation or would like assistance in reporting. As mentioned before, managers, supervisors, and any other individuals with supervisory authority must report suspected violations of this Policy when they become aware of such a violation.

Prohibition Against Retaliation

The Wheeler Committee strictly prohibits any form of retaliation against a Campaign Worker, who reports or assists in reporting a concern regarding a violation of this Policy. Retaliation against a Campaign Worker is a violation of this Policy and the retaliating individual will be subject to discipline under this Policy.

Retaliation occurs when a Campaign Worker experiences a negative change in his or her working conditions because they: reported what they believed in good faith to be harassment or a violation of this Policy; expressed an intent to report what they believed in good faith to be harassment or a violation of this Policy; assisted another individual in an effort to report harassment or a violation of the Policy; or participated in any investigation under this Policy.

This is not an exhaustive list, but retaliation can include the following types of conduct: termination or demotion; intimidation or excessive discipline; social exclusion or isolation; blacklisting; reduction in responsibilities or unfavorable work assignments; or denial of advancement.

The Wheeler Committee may need to employ protective measures for the benefits of the complainant while the Reporting Person investigates the report. The Reporting Person is an outside law firm hired to receive and investigate all complaints under this policy. The Wheeler Committee pledges that any protective measures that are undertaken will not penalize the complainant. The Wheeler Committee and the Reporting Person will perform regular check-ins with the complainant while the investigation is ongoing to ensure no retaliation is happening.

Procedures for Reporting a Violation of the Policy

If you suspect harassment, bullying, discrimination, or retaliation has occurred, you are encouraged (and supervisors are required) to promptly provide a written or oral complaint internally to your immediate supervisor or the Campaign Manager. In addition or alternatively, you may also report the conduct to legal@megwheeler.com, which is monitored by an outside attorney to fairly and neutrally investigate these claims. Neither the Candidate, Campaign Manager nor any other staff person, contractor or volunteer, with the exception of the Reporting Person, has access to this email account.

The Reporting Person is committed to promptly and fairly investigating and responding to all reports regarding potential violations of this Policy. It will establish specific investigation procedures and deadlines that will guide its investigations, including but not limited to specific deadlines for providing notice to the complainant upon receiving the report, completion of the investigation, notice of the outcome of the investigation to the complainant and the accused, and check-ins following the outcome of the investigation.

Possible Outcomes from Violations

The Reporting Person is committed to investigations that have just and fair outcomes. If an investigation reveals that a violation of this Policy occurred, the offender will be disciplined, but the punishment will be proportional to the violation, with repeat offenses receiving increasing discipline. The Reporting Person will prepare and publish a matrix of the possible outcomes that will be imposed based on a range of behaviors and repeat offenses.

Any questions about this policy should be directed to hello@megwheeler.com.