Carnegie Observatories Statement on Community
Welcome to Carnegie. By your presence on our campus, you acknowledge understanding of and agreement with the following Statement on Community.
The Carnegie Observatories is committed to a welcoming and productive work environment for all of its employees and visitors. As part of this commitment, the Observatories places value in the diverse viewpoints, values, experiences, and backgrounds of its employees and visitors including and resulting in part from their sex, race, ethnicity, religion, creed, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, abilities/disabilities, national origin, marital status, veteran or military status, socioeconomic status, or preferred language.
Because of this commitment, the Carnegie Observatories specifically forbids discrimination or harassment of any kind, including, but not limited to, discrimination or harassment based on the aforementioned characteristics.
This policy extends to each and every level of our operations. Accordingly, any form of harassment, whether by an employee, fellow, manager, supervisor, or visitor, will not be tolerated.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination and is against the law. Federal law defines sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or visual, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an employee’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment. A hostile work environment can be created by anyone in the work environment, including supervisors, co-workers, or third parties, such as vendors or visitors.
Some specific examples of unacceptable conduct that may constitute sexual harassment, depending on the totality of the circumstances, including the severity of the conduct and its pervasiveness, include:
- Making or threatening reprisals after a negative response to sexual advances
- Visual conduct: leering, making sexual gestures, displaying or transmitting sexually suggestive objects, pictures, cartoons or posters
- Verbal conduct: making or using derogatory or provoking comments about or relating to an employee’s gender, sexual orientation or sexual activity, including epithets, slurs, sexually explicit jokes, or comments about an employee’s body or dress
- Verbal sexual advances or propositions
- Verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic verbal commentary about an individual’s body, sexually degrading words used to describe an individual, suggestive or obscene letters, notes or invitations
- Continuing to ask an employee to socialize on or off duty after that person has indicated an unwillingness to do so
- Coerced sexual acts
- Physical conduct: touching, assaulting, impeding or blocking movements
- Off-duty conduct that falls within the above definition and affects the work environment