Non-discrimination & Anti-harassment Policy
Principle statement
Laudes Foundation is committed to providing an environment for its employees, interim consultants or contractors, that is free from discrimination, harassment and bullying, where everyone is treated with dignity, courtesy and respect, and where diversity is celebrated.
Why do we need this policy?
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Laudes Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer.
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In order to create a working environment where all employees are treated with respect, Laudes Foundation needs certain principles to prevent discrimination, harassment and bullying.
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This policy sets out principles and procedures for treating incidents relating to discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment) and bullying in any form.
Definitions
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Abuse: misuse of authority or power over subordinates, or any act that treats others in a harmful or offensive way.
Bullying: repeated behaviour from an individual or group with more power, intentionally causing hurt, harm or exclusion to other individuals who feel helpless to respond.
Discrimination: the intentional act of unfair treatment (distinction, exclusion or preference) of a person based on race, caste, religion, disability, nationality, gender (including gender identity and expression), age, sexual orientation, political beliefs, marital status, or any other characteristic as covered in international standards.
Harassment: unwelcome and uninvited behaviour that is unwanted by the recipient. Harassment demeans, threatens and/or offends the victim, results in a hostile environment and can cause mental or emotional suffering. Harassing behaviour may include, but is not limited to, insults, threats, offensive touching, sexting, offensive language and stalking. The purposes may vary, including racial prejudice, personal malice, solicitation of sexual favours, or merely pleasure from making someone fearful or anxious.
Ombudsperson: the Ombudsperson is an independent and impartial person who is responsible for listening to employee grievances or complaints confidentially, provides them guidance on possible ways of resolving their issues, and if the employee wants to raise the matter with a complaints committee or management of the company, then the Ombudsperson ensures that the management investigates complaints in an impartial manner, attempting to resolve issues without any retaliation.
Sexual harassment: unwelcome sexual advances, obscene remarks or requests for sexual favours, and other verbal, online or physical conduct where:
- submission to such conduct is either an explicit or implicit condition of employment; or
- submission to, or rejection of, such conduct is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the person involved; or
- such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
Key principles 
- Laudes does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment or bullying and expects every employee to show respect for all of our people. Discrimination, harassment or bullying by any employee is a form of misconduct that destroys our work environment and undermines the integrity of the employment relationship. All employees should act in accordance with this policy at all times.
- In the course of recruitment and employee development and promotion, Laudes will actively strive to recruit on the basis of diverse experiences, backgrounds, skillsets. All our people have equal opportunities for development as relevant to their roles.
- Any behaviour which contravenes this policy will be viewed very seriously and may result in disciplinary action, including suspension during the investigation and dismissal in appropriate cases.
- All persons involved with reporting and handling harassment reports on behalf of Laudes, and especially those who are involved in adjudicating filed or reported incidents, will at all times act in good faith and maintain the confidentiality of those involved in the matter to the greatest extent possible.
- All incidents will be handled in compliance with local legislation and specific regulations, including applicable privacy laws. Where required, detailed country specific policies are available to adhere to local compliances.
How it works
- All reported incidents / complaints are recorded in a central register, and they are taken very seriously.
- All incidents can be raised with an HR Business Partner and/or with the line manager who will assess and coordinate on next steps.
- Depending on the type of incident follow-up steps are established based on a confidential discussion between the reporter and the Head of Risk & Assurance.
- In case required, an incident that involves personal discrimination, abuse or harassment may also be reported anonymously using the Whistle-blower email: whistleblower@laudesfoundation.org.