Gardens Alive is committed to non-discrimination in the consideration of employment and the employment terms and conditions of all Gardens Alive applicants and employees. No applicant or employee will be discriminated against or treated unfavorably because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability. All Company policies and procedures will be regularly reviewed to assure their full adherence to our equal employment opportunity objectives.
Any person who is aware of any alleged violation of this policy should report such concerns to the Human Resources Manager as soon as possible. The Company will thoroughly investigate and promptly resolve all such complaints in strict compliance with all applicable laws. Any employee violating this policy or retaliating in any way against complainants under the policy will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination of employment.
Gardens Alive prohibits all forms of unlawful harassment, as more fully discussed in this Policy. Unlawful harassment, as prohibited by this Policy, not only includes harassment of employees by employees, it also encompasses harassment of employees by non-employees with whom Company employees come into contact during work, such as employees of contractors, customers, vendors, suppliers and temporary employment agencies. Similarly, employees are prohibited from engaging in unlawful harassment of non-employees with whom they come into contact, such as employees of contractors, customers, suppliers and temporary employment agencies.
Generally, unlawful harassment is defined as verbal or physical conduct which degrades or shows hostility, or aversion to an individual because of his or her race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability or marital status, or that of his or her relatives, friends or associates and which:
(a) has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment; or
(b) has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance; or
(c) otherwise adversely affects an individual’s employment opportunities.
For example, the following kinds of behavior, or others with a similar harassing effect, are absolutely prohibited:
(a) abusing an employee through epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping, or threatening, intimidating or hostile acts (even if claimed to be “jokes” or “pranks”) which relate to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or marital status; and
(b) written or graphic material which degrades, shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group because of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or marital status, and is displayed or circulated in the workplace.
Similarly, this Policy prohibits harassment of our employees by employees of (i) suppliers, vendors, temporary employment agencies, contractors and those entities utilizing, visiting or working in our facilities, and (ii) other entities with which our employees come into contact when working outside of the Company’s facilities. This Policy also prohibits harassment by our employees toward employees of (i) customers, suppliers, vendors, temporary employment agencies, contractors and those entities utilizing, visiting, or working in our facilities, and (ii) other entities with whom our employees come into contact when working outside of the Company’s facilities.
Any harassment of or by Company employees in violation of the foregoing rules is absolutely prohibited and will not be tolerated.