November 8, 2007

SUBJECT:            Prevention of Sexual Harassment

           TO:            All Employees in the Mid South Area

     FROM:            Dr. Edgar G. King, Jr.

                             Area Director, Mid South Area

With national statistics indicating over 13,000 charges alleging Sexual Harassment in violation of Title VII being filed each year with EEOC, state and local Fair Employment Practices agencies. With this in mind, the Mid South Area will continue to provide a workplace free from harassment of any sort and to take appropriate corrective action when harassment does occur by maintaining an effective policy for reporting and responding to complaints of sexual harassment, and will exercise reasonable care in attempting to prevent and promptly correct the harassment.   

In 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act and Title VII prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin and gender. For more than a decade after its passage, Title VII was primarily used to address discrimination in the workplace. As the work environment has changed; our operating laws and policy have adapted to these changes.

Sexual harassment is a form of employee misconduct which engenders fear, anger, and loss of self-esteem. Such misconduct creates a physiologically harmful condition of employment, and violates laws and regulations which guarantee a working environment free of intimidation. Any employee who engages in sexual harassment will be subject to prompt disciplinary action, up to and including removal from the Federal service. This includes taking, or refusing to take, a personnel action, including promoting employees who submit to sexual advances or refusing to promote employees who resist sexual overtures. Sexual harassment can also result in other forms of prohibited economic retaliation, such as the issuance of unsatisfactory or unacceptable performance appraisals, leading to the denial of a within-grade increase, demotion or removal, or the initiation of unwarranted disciplinary action.

The Mid South Area, in compliance with federal laws and consistent with the Agricultural Research Service’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program Policy Statement, strictly prohibits Sexual Harassment of any employee or applicant in any form. The Area Administration is committed to providing a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity as stated in (Section 703 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 recognizes any such conduct as a violation and will not be tolerated by any Mid South Area employee). Any Mid South Area employee, who believes that they have been subjected to conduct, that violates this policy may seek assistance from their supervisor or human resource manager or other managers at their location.

In addition, the Area Administration strictly prohibits any employee to be subjected to any form of retaliation or reprisal for reporting alleged violations of this policy by the Federal Employee Anti-discrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No Fear Act 107-174).

Please provide this memorandum to all employees of the Mid South Area and prominently display in all offices.