Laserfiche WebLink
CITY OF SAN LEANDRO <br />INVESTIGATION GUIDELINES FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND <br />DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS <br />Investigation Procedure: Any investigation of sexual harassment or discrimination allegations <br />shall be conducted in accordance with the City's Sexual Harassment/ Discrimination <br />Prevention Policy. <br />Treat All Complaints Seriously/Act Promptly: Even if a complaining employee insists that <br />he/she wants nothing done about the complaint, the City has an obligation to promptly <br />and thoroughly investigate any allegation of sexual harassment or discrimination. <br />All necessary steps must be taken to insure that if the conduct has occurred, it <br />does not continue. For example: Separate the employees by changing <br />shifts or assignments; order the accused to have no contact with the <br />complaining party; and/or depending on the seriousness of the allegations, <br />place the accused employee on paid administrative leave pending the <br />outcome of the investigation. <br />Neutral Investigator: All investigations need to be objective, fair and thorough. It is <br />important that the individual chosen to do the investigation is unbiased when <br />conducting the investigation. Important factors to consider are: <br />a. Does the investigator have any personal knowledge that would be needed as part <br />of the investigation? Could the investigator be a possible witness (even a <br />"reputation witness" for either the complaining party or the accused party? <br />b. Has the investigator ever been the subject of a similar complaint or accused <br />someone else of similar misconduct which may affect his/her ability to be <br />unbiased? <br />C. Is the investigator too close to either the complaining party or the accused person <br />to investigate the case without it impacting the credibility of the findings? <br />Conduct of Investigator: Regardless of what the investigator thinks may have <br />happened, all complaints of sexual harassment must be treated seriously and <br />promptly investigated. The investigator should assure the employee that he/she is <br />taking the complaint very seriously. The investigator should be sensitive and <br />objective while listening to the situation and not make any comments or gestures <br />that would indicate his/her belief regarding the veracity of the complaint. <br />Detailed Interview With Complainant: The first step in any investigation is an <br />interview with the complaining employee. The complaining employee should be <br />asked specific questions in order to obtain detailed information about the <br />allegations The investigator should not assume that he/she knows what the <br />