Anti-Discrimination Policy
The Company is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. The Company is committed to providing a workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination. The Company strictly prohibits and does not tolerate unlawful discrimination against employees, applicants, or any other covered persons, including interns, by co-workers, supervisors, managers, or third parties on the basis of a person’s age, race, gender, gender expression or identity, color, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, marital status, covered veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, status with respect to public assistance, or on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions or any other characteristics protected under state, federal, or local law.
The Company prohibits any such discrimination in any form at the workplace, at work-related functions, or outside of work if it affects the workplace. This policy applies to all Company employees, clients, customers, guests, vendors, and persons doing business with the Center.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, training, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment.
The Company complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act, the Virginians with Disabilities Act (VDA), the Virginia Human Rights Act (VHRA) and all other federal and state anti-discrimination laws. Consistent with those requirements, the Company will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability or for pregnancy or related conditions if such accommodation would allow the individual to perform the essential functions of the job, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If you believe you need an accommodation, refer any such request to your supervisor or the center Administrator. The Company will also, where appropriate, provide reasonable accommodations for an employee’s religious beliefs or practices.
In accordance with the VHRA, this information shall be provided to any employee within 20 days of the employee’s provision of notice that she is pregnant.
Procedures
If an employee is subjected to any conduct that he or she believes violates this policy, or witnesses any such conduct, the employee should promptly report the conduct, either orally or in writing. If you believe that you are being subjected to unlawful discrimination in violation of this policy, you should:
- Tell the involved individual that his or her actions are not welcome and they must stop, if you feel comfortable enough to do so.
- Report the incident immediately to your supervisor/manager, director or the Administrator.
- Report any additional incidents or discrimination that may occur to one of the above resources.
Any reported incident will be investigated immediately and thoroughly. Complaints and actions taken to resolve complaints will be handled as confidentially as possible, with the acknowledgement that the Company has an obligation to investigate and act upon reports of such discrimination. Appropriate actions will be taken by the Company to stop and remedy any and all such conduct, including interim measures during a period of investigation.
Each employee, supervisor and manager of the Company is personally responsible for ensuring that his or her conduct does not illegally discriminate against any other employee or non-employee in the workplace. Supervisors or managers who become aware of instances of unlawful discrimination in their departments, even in the absence of a formal complaint, should take prompt remedial action to eliminate the discrimination.
Retaliation of any kind or discriminating against an employee who reports a suspected incident of discrimination or who cooperates in an investigation is prohibited. An employee who violates this policy or retaliates against an employee in any way will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination.
Complaint Policy
Please refer to the Complaint Policy contained in the Workplace Anti-Harassment Policy.
In addition to the Office of Civil Rights within the Office of the Attorney General, the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy (VOPA) receives and addresses reports of workplace discrimination. The Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy may be contacted at:.
Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy (VOPA)
1910 Byrd Avenue, Suite 5
Richmond, VA 23230
Phone: 800-552-3962