EEOC STATEMENT
Equal Employment Opportunity
In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at TCI will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. TCI does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of veteran status, uniformed servicemember status, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age (40 and over), pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin or ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
TCI will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, religious accommodation requests, or pregnancy accommodation requests unless doing so would result in an undue hardship. This policy governs all aspects of employment including: selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.
In support of its commitment to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities, TCI provides training to its supervisors and managers regarding its policies forbidding discrimination, harassment or retaliation, including training on the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other related laws and topics. Any employees with questions or concerns about any type of discrimination in the workplace are encouraged to bring these issues to the attention of the Safety Manager, Customer Service Manager, or Company President. Our anti-harassment policy and complaint reporting procedure are described in more detail later in this Handbook.
Unlawful Discrimination, Harassment, & Retaliation
TCI fosters an environment where every employee feels productive and comfortable. It’s our policy that all employees are able to work in a setting free from all forms of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
It is a violation of TCI policy and Title VII to discriminate based on based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy. sex or gender. Examples of prohibited acts of discrimination based on these protected characteristics include, but are not limited to, failing to hire or promote qualified applicants on the basis of their protected status, making pay decisions based on protected status and terminating an employee based on protected status.
Harassment is verbal or physical conduct that demeans or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of their veteran status, uniformed service member status, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age (40 and over), pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin or ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics) (referred to throughout this policy as local, state, and/or federal protected classes) and that:
Has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment;
Has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance;
Otherwise adversely affects an individual’s employment opportunities.
Harassing conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping, demeaning comments or labels, or threatening, intimidating or hostile acts that relate to local, state, and/or federal protected classes; and
Written or graphic material that demeans or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group because of local, state and/or federal protected classes and that is placed on walls, bulletin boards, computers, or elsewhere on the employer’s premises, or circulated in the workplace.
It is a violation of TCI policy, as well as applicable laws, for any employee to retaliate against any other employee for engaging in a protected activity, including complaining of unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation pursuant to TCI’s Complaint Procedure, filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, exercising a right under any state or federal law prohibiting discrimination or harassment, or participating in or assisting with an investigation of a complaint of discrimination, harassment or retaliation, including an investigation conducted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. TCI will not take any adverse action against an employee based on his or her engaging in a protected activity.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has defined sexual harassment as follows:
Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when:
Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment;
Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual;
Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance;
Such conduct creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.
Prohibited sexual harassment may include, but is not limited to:
Sexual jokes, calendars, posters, cartoons, magazines, derogatory or physically descriptive comments about or toward another employee;
Sexually suggestive comments;
Inappropriate use of company communications including email and telephone;
Unwelcome touching or physical contact;
Punishment or favoritism on the basis of an employee’s sex;
Sexual slurs; and
Negative sexual stereotyping.
Sexual assault is also a form of sex discrimination. This includes unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that is inflicted upon a person or compelled through the use of physical force, manipulation, threat, or intimidation.
Harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of discrimination will not be tolerated in our workplace. It is against the policies of TCI for any employee to harass or sexually assault another employee. This includes acts between supervisors and employees. It also includes acts between one employee and another or inappropriate workplace conduct between a third party (such as a visitor, vendor, customer, or independent contractor) and an employee.
Reports of Discrimination, Harassment, or Retaliation
Employees who believe they have been subjected to discrimination, harassment or retaliation, should report their concerns by utilizing TCI’s complaint reporting procedure without fear of reprisal. Such employees should report the situation immediately in writing to one of the following members of management who have been designated to receive such complaints: the Safety Manager or Customer Services Manager. If the complaint concerns the Safety Manager or Customer Services Manager or, if an employee makes a report to Safety Manager or Customer Service Manager and neither responds nor responds in a manner the employee deems satisfactory or consistent with this policy, the employee should report the situation to the Company President.
The company will investigate all such reports promptly and as confidentially as possible. Adverse action will not be taken against an employee because he or she, in good faith, reports or participates in the investigation of a complaint made pursuant to this policy. Compliance with TCI’s complaint reporting procedure is necessary to ensure that TCI can effectively and appropriately investigate and respond to any such complaints and honor its commitment to provide a workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
Retaliation of any sort against an employee reporting unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation will not be tolerated. No adverse employment action will be taken against any employee making a good faith report of unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation. Any employee found to have retaliated against an employee for reporting unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
Reporting Workplace Concerns
This Complaint Reporting Procedure has been developed to assist employees in resolving all types of complaints and disputes no matter how small.
Use this procedure to file complaints regarding work rules, working conditions, disputes with other employees, unfair practices, and any type of harassment. Complaints filed will be held in confidence and information will only be released on a “need to know” basis for the purpose of conducting an investigation.
Step 1:
Bring your complaint to your immediate supervisor. This should be done within 72 hours of the situation causing the complaint. Explain the complaint in detail and offer any solutions you may have. If applicable, outline what actions you would like management to consider to correct the situation. Your supervisor will provide an answer to you immediately or within ten calendar days (depending on the severity of the complaint) from the date the complaint was filed.
Note: If for some reason you feel that you cannot take your complaint to your immediate supervisor, take it to the next higher level of management. Again, the complaint should be presented within 72 hours.
Step 2:
You have the right to appeal the decision to the VP of Operations. All appeals must be filed in writing within ten calendar days of the date you received your supervisor’s decision. A management representative will respond to your appeal within ten calendar days of receipt of your appeal. If it is found that a company policy has been violated, management will take appropriate disciplinary action.
Step 3:
If the employee is still not satisfied with the results from Step 2, the employee may appeal to the Company President. To appeal the employee must present the grievance in writing within ten calendar days after the Step 2 discussion. TCI will answer your appeal within ten calendar days of receipt. All decisions made at this level are final and binding upon both the Company and the employee.