Civilian PPM: Anti-Discrimination

The City of Colorado Springs is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. The City of Colorado Springs will not tolerate any employee engaging in unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation against any employee or applicant because of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, pregnancy status, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, spousal or civil union status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

The City has zero tolerance for any form of unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. The City seeks to establish a diverse and inclusive work environment that is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

It is the responsibility of all City employees, managers, and supervisors to conduct themselves in a manner that fosters inclusion and respect for the individual and maximizes every employee's capability to be productive in his or her job.

The following conduct is prohibited:

• Discrimination: Unlawful employment actions based on an employee's or applicants race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, pregnancy status, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, spousal or civil union status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.
• Harassment: Unlawful acts of intimidation, threats, inappropriate comments, or related actions and behaviors which target an employee or applicant because of his or her race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, pregnancy status, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, spousal or civil union status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.
• Sexual Harassment: Unlawful conduct such as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, or any other unwelcome verbal or physical conduct based on a person's sex.

Retaliation: Unlawful conduct against any employee or applicant who opposes acts of unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation or participates in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing by a federal or state agency charged with enforcement of such laws.

Complaints

An employee who believes he or she has been subjected to actions or behaviors that are forms of unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation must discuss the incident(s) with the appropriate level supervisor/manager in their department/division or the Human Resources Department. If the employee uses an informal resolution process with a supervisor/manager, all complaints must still be reported to the Human Resources Department.

Discipline

Individuals whose behavior is in violation of this Policy shall be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

References

Policy #44, Discipline

ADA Accommodations:  The City of Colorado Springs shall comply with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008 by providing reasonable accommodation to qualified employees with disabilities if needed for the employee to perform the essential functions of the job.

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act:  The City of Colorado Springs shall comply with the Colorado Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) of 2016 by providing reasonable accommodation to its employees with health conditions related to pregnancy or the physical recovery from childbirth if needed for the employee to perform the essential functions of the job.

Request for Accommodation

Employees who think that they have a disability or are experiencing a health condition related to pregnancy or the recovery from childbirth that prevents them from performing essential functions of their job and would like to request an accommodation must contact their Human Resources Department.

Once the determination of ADA or PWFA coverage is made, the City will provide a reasonable accommodation unless doing so would result in an undue hardship to the City or cause a direct threat to health and safety.

References: The policies and procedures governing the accommodation process are found in the resource manual, ADA Disability Compliance Policy and Guidelines for Managers, located on the Intranet under Human Resources.