FR-A-107 discrimination harassment and retaliation

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Discrimination Policy

• Purpose: Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws to create a respectful work environment

• Updates: Deputy Chief of Administration manages future updates with the PPM Committee and the Fire Rescue Administrator

• Authority: Various laws including the Equal Pay Act, Florida Civil Rights Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act, along with internal policies and Palm Beach County Ordinance 95-31

• Scope: Applies to all Fire Rescue personnel and reservists

• Policy: Prohibits discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and hostile work environments. Palm Beach County is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer committed to fair employment practices

• Procedure - General:

  • Professional conduct is mandatory.

  • Fire Rescue seeks to prevent, correct, and discipline discriminatory behavior via training

  • Annual training for supervisors on prevention, recognition, documentation & corrective action is required

  • Intranet postings about the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity are needed

  • Personnel must follow the Discrimination, Harassment, Reasonable Accommodation, and Retaliation in the Workplace policy (PPM CW-P-029).

  • Prohibited online/on-premises activities:

    • Offensive jokes on county computers
    • County computers or networks for inappropriate websites
    • Offensive materials displayed in the workplace
    • Viewing/posting offensive program content (TV, phones, internet)
    • Offensive text/s
    • Disseminating content that harms morale, discipline, safety, or public perception (unprofessional/illegal/ethically-questionable/sexual/violent/racist/sexist material).

• Procedure - Responsibilities:

  • Personnel must report evidence of discrimination/harassment/retaliation/hostile environment to their immediate supervisor for investigation and action
  • Supervisors have a responsibility to address discrimination within their area
  • Supervisors must take immediate action on sexual harassment or retaliation incidents or known discriminatory practices
  • Immediate supervisor actions include:
    • Ensure inappropriate behavior stops
    • Speak directly to the individuals involved
    • Document the incident (station log, memo, etc.)
    • Issue counseling
  • Further actions (by immediate supervisor, in consultation with next level supervisor) include:
    • Record keeping of discriminatory activity
    • Disciplinary action
    • Consultation with Office of Internal Affairs to determine possible corrective or disciplinary action (potentially in coordination with Human Resources’ Diversity and Development Section)

• Procedure - Discrimination/Harassment:

  • Employment opportunities, benefits, privileges cannot be discriminated against or controlled
  • Discriminatory work conditions or evaluation standards that negatively affect any of outlined protected groups (race, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation or veteran status) are unacceptable
  • Fire Rescue shall maintain harassment-free working environments
  • Recruitment, hiring, training, and promotion must not be based on outlined protected status
  • Employment conditions (compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, training, education, tuition reimbursement, programs) must be equitable
  • Employment of qualified individuals with disabilities, and veterans, who meet their job’s essential functions, is required
  • Employment decisions should support fair employment practices based on Federal, State, and local statutes

• Procedure - Sexual Harassment:

  • Fire Rescue does not accept sexual harassment behaviors (verbally or physically)

  • Any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, verbal/physical conduct of a sexual nature that is a term or condition of employment or used to influence employment decisions or has the effect of negatively affecting work performance or creating a hostile environment constitutes sexual harassment

  • Examples: degrading comments, sexual implications/comments on appearance/lifestyle, offensive flirtations/ogling/sexual advances/propositions/verbal abuse, display of sexually demeaning materials, threats/insinuations of negative employment consequences for refusing sexual advances, solicitation for sexual activity in exchange for favorable employment outcomes, unwelcome physical contact

  • Sexual relationships may constitute harassment if there's a power differential

  • Relationships within a supervisory/subordinate structure, even of apparent mutual consent, are discouraged

• Procedure-Retaliation:

  • Retaliation for filing a discrimination/harassment complaint or appearing as a witness is prohibited. No hardship, loss of benefit, or penalty may occur as punishment for such actions.
  • Disciplinary action will be taken against anyone involved in discrimination/retaliation/sexual harassment, as per Disciplinary Guidelines

• Filing a Charge:

  • Options for filing complaints: various internal offices of Fire Rescue & Palm Beach County, the Florida Commission on Human Relations, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Contact information for each is provided.
    • Filing deadlines vary by entity (e.g., 365 days for Florida Commission on Human Relations, 300 days for federal and local agencies)

This quiz covers the essential aspects of the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Discrimination Policy. It aims to ensure that personnel understand their rights and responsibilities under various anti-discrimination laws, promoting a respectful and inclusive work environment. Familiarity with these guidelines is crucial for all Fire Rescue personnel and reservists.