1-9 Harassment, Discrimination, or Retaliation Process

It is CODE Staffing's policy to prohibit intentional and unintentional harassment, discrimination, or retaliation of or against job applicants, contractors, interns, volunteers or team members by another team member, supervisor, vendor, customer or any third party on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws (referred to as “protected characteristics”). Such conduct will not be tolerated by CODE Staffing.

The purpose of this policy is not to regulate our team members' personal morality. Our management team is dedicated to ensuring the fulfillment of this policy as it applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, team member activities, and general treatment during employment.

Discrimination under this policy means treating differently or denying or granting a benefit to an individual because of the individual's protected characteristic.

Harassment generally is defined in this policy as unwelcome verbal, visual or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion towards an individual because of any actual or perceived protected characteristic or has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. Harassment can be verbal (including slurs, jokes, insults, epithets, gestures, or teasing), visual (including offensive posters, symbols, cartoons, drawings, computer displays, text messages, social media posts or emails) or physical conduct (including physically threatening another, blocking someone’s way, etc.). Such conduct violates this policy, even if it does not rise to the level of a violation of applicable federal, state, or local laws. Because it is difficult to define unlawful harassment, team members are expected to always behave in a manner consistent with the intended purpose of this policy.

Sexual harassment can include all the above actions, as well as other unwelcome conduct, such as unwelcome or unsolicited sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, conversations regarding sexual activities and other verbal, visual or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

• submission to that conduct or those advances or requests is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment; or
• submission to or rejection of the conduct or advances or requests by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the individual; or
• the conduct or advances or requests have the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.

Retaliation means adverse conduct taken because an individual reported an actual or a perceived violation of this policy, opposed practices prohibited by this policy, or participated in the reporting and investigation process.

All discrimination, harassment, and retaliation are unacceptable in the workplace and in any work-related settings such as business trips and business-related social functions, regardless of whether the conduct is engaged in by a supervisor, a coworker, a client, a customer, a vendor, or another third party. If a team member believes someone has violated this policy, they should promptly bring the matter to the immediate attention of Yag. If this individual is the person toward whom the complaint is directed, the team member should contact any higher-level manager in the reporting chain. Every supervisor who learns of any team member's concern about conduct in violation of this policy, whether in a formal complaint or informally, or who otherwise is aware of conduct in violation of this policy must immediately report the issues raised to Yag.

Upon receiving a complaint, the Company will promptly conduct a fair and thorough investigation into the facts and circumstances of any claim of a violation of this policy. The Company will take corrective measures against any person who it finds to have engaged in conduct in violation of this policy. Retaliation is prohibited and is against the law.

All discrimination, harassment, and retaliation are unacceptable in the workplace and in any work-related settings such as business trips and business-related social functions, regardless of whether the conduct is engaged in by a supervisor, a coworker, a client, a customer, a vendor, or another third party. Some team members of CODE may undergo harassment prevention training as required by applicable state law.

Violation of this policy including any improper retaliatory conduct will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination