This policy applies to all prospective, current or former employees of Sprout.
It is Sprout's policy and practice to maintain the highest ethical standards, and to create a workplace free of inappropriate or unlawful behavior, in which people are encouraged to share their concerns with the Company without fear of retaliation. Consequently, at Sprout, no adverse action will be taken against any employee, former employee, agent or third party for complaining about, reporting, participating or assisting in the investigation of a suspected violation of the Company’s Code of Conduct, Company policy, or applicable law, unless the allegation made or information provided is found to be intentionally false or not made or provided in good faith. To the maximum extent possible, Sprout will maintain the confidentiality of all complaints. All allegations of retaliation will be investigated, and if appropriate, disciplinary action will be taken, up to and including termination.
Sprout's No Retaliation Policy describes provisions towards employees who file reports for harmful, discriminatory or unethical behaviors. Whether accusations are true or false, our company wants to prevent victimization and other retaliatory behavior towards the employee. We believe it’s important that employees aren’t afraid to speak up about any issues. It’s to our company’s benefit to resolve them as soon as possible. An environment of fear can only be harmful in the long run. We’ll follow all legal prohibitions for retaliation and will grant employees the right to speak about misconduct. At any case, we will make an effort to preserve legality and business ethics.
Employees may file complaints internally to a manager or Human Resources Department. Or they may speak to persons able to take legal action against the person accused of violating Sprout’s non-retaliation policy. Employees who report misconduct or suspected violation must be protected from retaliation. We don’t want to silence complaints, but we encourage open communication.
It’s important to note that this policy refers to circumstances when an employee’s report is true as well as circumstances when the report is baseless. We don’t consider the report’s validity when it comes to no retaliation principles, as required by law. Sprout will not malevolently punish its employees in any way and for whatever reason. Retaliation is in general defined as any kind of negative action against a current or former employee that takes the form of punishment, and creates a hostile, threatening or uncomfortable environment as a result of their reported complaint. Retaliation in the workplace may be expressed in a variety of ways, these include but are not limited to:
Victimization
Termination or illegal retraction of benefits
Reduction of compensation
Poor work performance evaluation
Exclusion from corporate events or meetings
Defamation of character
Employees that are found guilty of retaliation will be subject to disciplinary action that may also result in termination. Disciplinary action may also apply to employees who have repeatedly filed false or unreasonable complaints and are proven to have been intentionally lying, falsifying evidence, acting maliciously or for personal benefit. That way we can ensure that employees do not take advantage of our policy and act always in good faith.