It's very simple, we do not discriminate in any way.

Policy brief & purpose

The United Children’s Cancer Fund. We are committed to an environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Whether an employee, or a member of the community, each individual has the right to a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities, equal assistance and prohibits unlawful discriminatory practices, including harassment. Therefore, we expect that all relationships among persons will be professional and free of explicit bias, prejudice and harassment.

Our company complies with all anti-discrimination laws, including [Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA.)] We explicitly prohibit offensive behavior of any kind.  We are committed to serving the community without discrimination.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees, contractors, visitors, clients, donors, members and stakeholders.

Policy elements

Discrimination is any negative action or attitude directed toward someone because of protected characteristics, like race and gender. Other protected characteristics are: Age, Religion, Ethnicity / Nationality, Disability / medical history, marriage / civil partnership, pregnancy / maternity/ paternity, gender identity / sexual orientation, discrimination and harassment.

Our anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies go hand-in-hand. We will not tolerate any kind of discrimination that creates a hostile and unpleasant environment for employees, clients, interns or volunteers.

Employees, interns and volunteers who harass colleagues or clients will go through our disciplinary process and we may reprimand, demote or terminate them depending on the severity of their offence.

We recognize that sometimes discrimination is unintentional, as we may all have unconscious biases that could be difficult to identify and overcome. In case we conclude that an employee unconsciously discriminates, we will support them through training and counseling and implement processes that mitigate biases as we indicate in the next section. But, if this person shows unwillingness to change their behavior, we may demote or terminate them.

We will not be lenient in cases of assault, sexual harassment or workplace violence, whether physical or psychological. We will terminate employees who behave like this immediately.

What to do in cases of discrimination

If you are the victim of discriminatory behavior (or if you suspect that others are being discriminated against,) please talk to HR (or a manager) as soon as possible. HR is responsible for hearing your claim, investigating the issue and determining punishment.

We will investigate all claims discreetly. We will never disclose who made a complaint to anyone or give out information that may help others identify that person (e.g. which department or role they work in.)

We should all strive to prevent and address discrimination. Be aware of your implicit biases and speak up whenever you or your colleagues are discriminated against. If you have any ideas on how we can ensure fairness and equality in our workplace, we are happy to hear them.

Punishment for discriminatory behavior depends on the severity of the offence. For example, inadvertently offending someone might warrant a reprimand. Conversely, willfully bypassing employees for promotion because of a protected characteristic will result in termination.

If you decide to make a claim to a regulatory body (e.g. the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,) we are committed and bound by law not to retaliate against you.