(A) It is a violation of federal and state law, and against Will County’s policy, for any employee, male or female, to harass another worker by making unwelcome sexual advances or favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, a condition of employment; by using a worker’s submission to or rejection of such conduct as the basis for or a factor in any employment decision affecting the individual; or by creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment by engaging in such conduct.
(B) The creation of an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment may include such actions as persistent comments on a worker’s sexual preferences, or the display of obscene or sexually oriented photographs or drawings. Conduct or actions that arise out of a personal or social relationship and that are not intended to have a discriminatory effect on employment may not be viewed as harassment. The employer will determine whether certain conduct constitutes sexual harassment, based on a review of the facts and circumstances of each situation.
(C) Will County will not condone any sexual harassment of employees. All employees, including supervisors, will be subject to discipline, including discharge, for any sexual harassing behavior.
(D) Any employee who feels victimized by sexual harassment should immediately report the alleged harassment to his or her supervisor. If the first-line supervisor is the source of the alleged harassment, the employee should report the problem to the supervisor’s superior.
(E) Supervisors and managers who receive a sexual harassment complaint should, in consultation with the county’s Human Resources Department, carefully investigate the matter, questioning all employees who may have knowledge of the alleged incident or similar problems. Both the complaint and the investigative steps and findings should be documented as thoroughly as possible.
(F) Employees who are dissatisfied with an investigating supervisor’s resolution of a sexual harassment problem may file a complaint in accordance with established grievance procedures.
(G) No employee will be subject to any form of retaliation or discipline for pursuing a sexual harassment complaint.
(H) The county anticipates that any incident of sexual harassment can be resolved through the internal process outlined above. All employees, however, have the right to file formal charges with the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) and/or the Illinois Human Relations Commission (IHRC). The Illinois Department of Human rights may be contacted at 312-814-6200 or 1-800-662-3942 or by TDD at 312-263-1579. The IHRC may be contacted as follows: 312-814-6269 or by TDD at 217-557-1500. A charge with IDHR must be filed within 180 days of the incident of sexual harassment.
(Res. 11-365, passed 9-15-2011)