Template · Policies and handbooks
Anti-harassment policy
In short
An anti harassment policy states that harassment based on protected characteristics, including sexual harassment, is prohibited; gives clear examples; names several ways to report; explains how complaints are investigated; prohibits retaliation; and sets out consequences. A clear, well-communicated policy with real reporting channels is also part of an employer's legal defense in many harassment claims.
Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination Policy template
Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination Policy
Replace each [Placeholder]. If you have employees in states with their own policy requirements (for example New York, California, Illinois or Connecticut), add the required elements and state agency contacts. Have employment counsel review before publishing.
1. Our commitment
[Company Name] is committed to a workplace free from harassment, discrimination and retaliation. This policy applies to all employees, applicants, managers, officers and directors, and, where stated in their agreements, to interns, temporary workers, contractors and volunteers. It also protects employees from harassment by customers, clients, vendors and other non-employees.
This policy applies at work, at work-related events and travel, on calls and video meetings, and in electronic communications such as email, chat, text and social media whenever the conduct affects the workplace.
2. Prohibited discrimination
We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, pay, training, promotion, discipline, termination or any other term or condition of employment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age (40 and over), physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, [additional characteristics protected under state or local law, e.g. marital status, hairstyle associated with race, reproductive health decisions], or any other status protected by law.
3. What harassment means
Harassment is unwelcome conduct based on any protected characteristic listed above that is severe or pervasive enough to create an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, or that affects someone's employment. [Note: some states, such as New York and California, set a lower legal threshold; where that applies, adjust this sentence accordingly.] We prohibit such conduct even when it does not meet the legal definition of harassment, because it has no place in our workplace.
Examples include:
- Slurs, epithets, name-calling, or jokes about a protected characteristic - Threats, intimidation, or physical contact such as blocking, cornering or unwanted touching - Offensive images, memes, messages or objects shared in person or online - Mocking someone's accent, religious dress, disability or gender identity, including repeatedly and deliberately using the wrong name or pronouns - Comments or treatment based on stereotypes
4. Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, visual or physical conduct of a sexual nature, as well as hostile conduct directed at someone because of their sex, when:
- submission to the conduct is made a condition of employment, or used as a basis for decisions such as hiring, scheduling, pay or promotion; or - the conduct interferes with someone's work or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
Examples include sexual comments or jokes, questions about someone's sex life, repeated requests for dates after someone has said no, sexual images or messages, unwanted touching, and sexual assault. Harassment can occur between people of any sex or gender.
5. Manager responsibilities
Managers and supervisors must model respectful behavior, act on conduct that may violate this policy even if no one complains, and report every complaint or observed incident to [HR contact] within [one business day]. Managers may not investigate complaints on their own or try to resolve them informally without involving HR. Romantic or sexual relationships between a manager and someone in their reporting line must be disclosed to HR under our [Workplace Relationships Policy].
6. How to report
If you experience or witness conduct that may violate this policy, report it as soon as possible through any of these channels. You do not have to report to the person involved or to your own manager.
- Your manager or any other manager - Human Resources: [Name, email, phone] - [Ethics hotline phone number and web link], available 24/7, with anonymous reporting where permitted by law - [Senior leader or Legal contact] if the complaint involves HR or senior management
Reports can be made verbally or in writing. You may use our [Employee Complaint Form]. You may also contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or your state or local fair employment agency: [state agency name and contact].
7. Investigation
We will take every report seriously and start a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation, normally within [two business days] of receiving it. The investigator will be someone with no conflict of interest and may be an outside investigator. Investigations usually include interviews with the person reporting, the person accused and witnesses, and a review of relevant documents and messages.
Information will be kept as confidential as possible and shared only with those who need it to investigate or act. We may take interim steps during the investigation, such as schedule changes or paid leave, to protect the people involved. Interim steps should not disadvantage the person who reported. Both the person who reported and the person accused will be told when the investigation is complete and, where appropriate, the outcome.
8. Corrective action
If we find that this policy was violated, we will take prompt corrective action appropriate to the conduct, which may include training, a written warning, changes to reporting lines or schedules, suspension, or termination of employment or contract. Where a customer, vendor or other non-employee is responsible, we will take steps within our control, which may include ending the business relationship.
9. No retaliation
Retaliation against anyone who reports a concern in good faith, takes part in an investigation, or opposes conduct they reasonably believe violates this policy is strictly prohibited. Retaliation includes discipline, demotion, schedule or pay changes, exclusion, threats or any other action that might discourage someone from reporting. Report retaliation through the same channels listed above. Knowingly false reports are also a violation of this policy, but a report that cannot be substantiated is not by itself a false report.
10. Training and review
All employees will receive harassment prevention training [at hire and every year / as required by state law], and managers will receive additional training on receiving and escalating complaints. This policy will be reviewed at least once a year. Effective date: [Date]. Questions: [HR contact].
Employee acknowledgment
- I have received and read the Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination Policy and know how to report a concern.
- Employee name
- Employee signature
- Date
How to use this template
- Add every characteristic protected in the states and cities where you employ people to the list in section 2.
- Check state requirements for policy content, distribution and training (for example New York, California, Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware and Maine) and add the required elements.
- Name at least two reporting channels that bypass the employee's direct manager, and test that each one works.
- Decide who investigates which types of complaints, including when to use an outside investigator, before you need one.
- Distribute the policy to every employee, in the languages they read, and collect a signed acknowledgment.
- Train managers on receiving complaints and escalating them the same day, then train all employees.
- Review the policy each year and after any change in law or any investigation that exposed a gap.
Why the policy matters legally
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits harassment based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin; the ADEA and ADA extend this to age and disability. Title VII applies to employers with 15 or more employees, but many state laws cover much smaller employers.
Under the Supreme Court's Faragher and Ellerth decisions (1998), when a supervisor's harassment does not result in a tangible employment action such as firing or demotion, an employer can defend itself by showing that it took reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct harassment, and that the employee unreasonably failed to use the complaint process. A written policy with accessible reporting channels, communicated to employees and actually enforced, is the core of that defense. A policy that exists only in a binder is not.
The EEOC rescinded its 2024 enforcement guidance on harassment in January 2026, so there is no current federal checklist. Court decisions on the reasonable care defense point to the same core elements, and the template follows them: a clear explanation of prohibited conduct, multiple accessible reporting channels, assurance of confidentiality to the extent possible, prompt and impartial investigation, corrective action and protection against retaliation.
State requirements
Several states go further than federal law. New York requires every employer to adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy that meets or exceeds the state's model and to provide interactive training every year. California requires employers with 5 or more employees to provide sexual harassment prevention training every two years (two hours for supervisors, one hour for other employees) and to have a written policy with specific content. Illinois requires annual training, and Connecticut, Delaware and Maine also have training or notice rules.
These rules change often and differ in detail. If you employ people in several states, write to the strictest standard and add state-specific inserts. Rules also vary outside the US; for example, many countries require a specific grievance process or a designated committee.
What makes reporting work in practice
Most harassment is never reported. People stay quiet because they fear retaliation, doubt anything will happen, or the only channel is the person causing the problem. A few practical choices change that:
- Multiple channels that bypass the manager. HR, another manager, a hotline and a written form, as in the template. A standard complaint form helps people who prefer to write it down.
- Visible follow-through. Tell the person who reported when the investigation is finished. Silence reads as inaction.
- Fast escalation from managers. Most first reports are informal remarks to a supervisor. Train supervisors that "I don't want to make it a big thing" still has to go to HR.
- Retaliation watch. Check in with the person who reported at 30 and 90 days. Retaliation charges are the most common type filed with the EEOC.
High-volume and frontline settings
Contact centers, warehouses, retail floors and hospitality have specific risks: large numbers of young or new employees, supervisors with control over schedules and overtime, night shifts with little HR presence, and harassment by customers. Harassment by a caller or customer is covered too; employers can be liable if they knew or should have known and did nothing.
Practical adjustments: make the hotline available around the clock, put reporting channels on break-room posters and in the employee app, include a short module in new hire training rather than just a signature on day one, and give agents a clear rule for ending abusive calls. Pair this policy with an equal opportunity policy and reference both from your code of conduct. The glossary entry on a hostile work environment explains the legal standard in more detail.
Common mistakes
- A single reporting channel, usually the employee's own manager.
- Promising complete confidentiality. You cannot investigate without telling some people; promise discretion instead.
- Letting the accused person's manager or a friend run the investigation.
- Moving the person who complained to a worse shift "for their protection".
- A policy that lists only federally protected characteristics in a state that protects more.
- No acknowledgment or training records, so you cannot show employees received the policy.
Frequently asked questions
What should a harassment policy template include?
A statement of commitment, who and where it covers, the protected characteristics, definitions and examples of harassment and sexual harassment, manager duties, several reporting channels, how investigations work, corrective action, a clear ban on retaliation, training commitments and an acknowledgment for employees to sign.
Is an anti-harassment policy required by law?
Federal law does not require a written policy, but without one an employer will struggle to use the Faragher/Ellerth defense in supervisor harassment cases. Some states, including New York and California, require a written policy, and several require regular training.
What is the difference between a sexual harassment policy and an anti-discrimination policy?
A sexual harassment policy covers unwelcome sexual conduct and sex-based hostility. An anti-discrimination policy covers unequal treatment in employment decisions on any protected basis. Most employers combine them with general harassment rules in one policy, as this template does, because the reporting and investigation process is the same.
How quickly should a harassment complaint be investigated?
Promptly. Many employers commit to starting within one to two business days and finishing most investigations within two to four weeks, depending on complexity. Interim steps to protect the people involved should happen right away.
Does the policy cover harassment by customers?
It should. Employers can be liable for harassment by customers, clients or vendors if they knew or should have known about it and failed to take reasonable corrective action within their control, such as removing the employee from that account or ending the business relationship.
Can a harassment complaint be anonymous?
Allow anonymous reports where the law permits, usually through a hotline or web form. Anonymous reports are harder to investigate, so let the reporter follow up through a case number, and tell them that named reports can usually be handled more fully.