It is the policy of the Ohio Expositions Commission
(OEC) to prohibit discrimination and harassment of applicants and
employees, due to race, color, religion, sex, including sexual harassment,
national origin, disability, age (40 years or older) or veteran
status. Harassment will not be tolerated in the Ohio Expositions
Commission’s workplace.
It is the policy of OEC to maintain a working environment free
from any discrimination, and to prohibit harassment of its employees
and applicants, including sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is
any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature by a superior, subordinate
or peer. Any employee or applicant who believes that she or he has
been subject to sexual harassment should advise the offending individual
that the action is not welcome and must stop. The aggrieved individual
must then report such incident(s) to either her or his supervisor,
the agency’s EEO and Diversity Manager, HR Administrator or
the Equal Opportunity Division.
Any managerial or supervisory employee who receives a report of
discrimination or harassment must either: 1) request a written statement
from the victim; or 2) confirm the substance of such statement in
writing and document the date the report was received. Regardless
of whether a written report is received from the alleged victim,
managers and/or supervisors must immediately report such complaints
to the EEO and Diversity Manager or the HR Administrator. Such reports
cannot be kept strictly confidential, however, information concerning
allegations shall be managed discretely and communicated to others
only as is necessary to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary
action. There shall be no retaliation against an employee for reporting
allegations of discrimination or harassment or other inappropriate
behavior. Retaliatory actions will also be subject to investigation
and possible discipline.
INTERNAL RESOLUTION OF A CLAIM
All allegations of discrimination or harassment must be reviewed.
The OEC’s internal policy requires that complaints made to
the EEO and Diversity Manager or to the HR Administrator will be
reviewed for timeliness. Formal complaints must be filed within
30 days of the most recent incident of alleged discrimination or
harassment. When appropriate, all efforts will be made to seek an
internal resolution of claims. Such complaints will be investigated
promptly and thoroughly. A rapid determination will be made of what,
if any, corrective action is warranted by possible violations of
the Anti-Discriminatory and Anti-Harassment Policy. The decision
to pursue a remedy utilizing the agency’s internal complaint
process will be made in conjunction with the individual filing the
allegations. All allegations of discrimination and harassment will
be investigated regardless of timeliness. Incident reports by managers
and supervisors should be made immediately.
FILING A FORMAL COMPLAINT
Formal complaints may be filed with any or all of the following
enforcement agencies:
- Department of Administrative Services’ Equal Opportunity
Division within 30 days of the most recent incident of alleged
discrimination or harassment.
- Ohio Civil Rights Commission within six months; and/or
- Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission within 300 days.
The EEO and Diversity Manager shall then conduct a formal investigation
of the complaint. Within sixty (60) days from the filing of this
complaint, the agency shall render a decision of whether there was
probable cause and the appropriate remedy, if a remedy is required.
The investigation time may be continued, depending on extenuating
circumstances.
If the complainant is not satisfied with the agency’s decision
and/or resolution she or he may request a hearing through the Ohio
Department of Administrative Services Equal Opportunity Division.
The Equal Opportunity Division will select a hearing officer to
preside over and render a decision on the case. The agency shall
have thirty (30) days to act on the decision of the hearing officer,
if any action is required. The complainant may request a final review
and decision from the State Equal Opportunity Coordinator if he/she
is not satisfied with the decision of the hearing officer.
ENFORCEMENT
Discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated. Such conduct
is subject to discipline, up to and including termination. Supervisory
employees are advised that they may be subject to personal liability
for acts of discrimination and harassment and may be responsible
for their own legal defense.
Harassment, discrimination and related behavior in the workplace
are inappropriate, and will not be tolerated. This policy supports
the objectives and practices of the State of Ohio and is in conjunction
with applicable Federal and State laws and regulations as well as
Executive Order 99-25T. This policy will be disseminated to all
employees annually and will be included in employee orientation
materials.
Any employee or applicant for employment with the Ohio Expositions
Commission who believes she/he has been a victim of harassing or
discriminatory conduct, or who has questions concerning this policy
should contact:
Susan Weyrick
EEO Coordinator
Ohio Expo Center and State Fair
717 East 17th Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43211
(614) 466-6520 |
