Respect in the Workplace
Guiding Principles of a Respectful Culture
Respect is treating others in ways that consider the following:
Their individual desires, perspectives, and struggles, and
The objectives and challenges of the team/district and of the Courts as a whole.
Reporting Discrimination, Including Harassment and Retaliation
Any employee, witness, volunteer, or other impacted individual has the right to use the Utah State Courts complaint procedure (HR15-3) to report workplace harassment, discrimination, or retaliation. The state's policy is to provide a work environment free from discrimination and harassment based on race, religion, national origin, color, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, or protected activity or class under state or federal law. Workplace harassment can include actions or conduct that is unwelcome, pervasive, demeaning, ridiculing, derisive, or coercive and results in a hostile, offensive, or intimidating work environment. Harassment can also include any action or conduct that results in a tangible employment action against the harassed employee. It is wise to remember that harassment can also occur outside of scheduled work time or work location. No person may retaliate against any employee who has filed a charge, testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing or is otherwise engaged in protected activity.
To file a harassment complaint, please contact HR.
Reporting Abusive Conduct
The state's policy is to provide a work environment free from abusive conduct. Such conduct may include physical, verbal, or nonverbal conduct, such as derogatory remarks, insults, or epithets made by an employee that a reasonable person would determine was intended to cause intimidation or humiliation that results in substantial physical or psychological harm caused by intimidation, humiliation, or unwarranted distress. It also includes actions that exploit a known physical or psychological disability. The following actions do not constitute abusive conduct unless they are especially severe and egregious: a single act, appropriate disciplinary or administrative actions, appropriate coaching or work-related feedback, reasonable work assignments or job reassignments, or reasonable differences in management styles, communication, expression, or opinion. Once a complaint of abusive conduct has been filed, the accused may not communicate with the complainant regarding allegations in the complaint.
Employees who allege abusive conduct may file complaints and engage in a review process free from bias, collusion, intimidation, or retaliation. An employee who feels they are being subjected to abusive conduct should do the following:
document the occurrence
continue to report to work
identify witnesses, if applicable
An employee shall file a written complaint of abusive conduct with their direct supervisor, any other supervisor in their direct chain of command, or the Division of Human Resource Management, including the agency human resource field office.
Abusive conduct is prohibited under HR16-1. To file a complaint of Abusive Conduct, please contact HR.
Abusive conduct does not include:
appropriate disciplinary or administrative actions due to misconduct or subpar performance
coaching or work-related feedback
reasonable work assignments or job reassignments
reasonable differences in styles of management, communication, expression, or opinion
Workplace Harassment Prevention
Workplace harassment is conduct in violation of the harassment prevention policy (HR15-1) that is:
unwelcome, pervasive, demeaning, ridiculing, derisive, or coercive; AND
results in a hostile, offensive, or intimidating work environment; AND
based on one of these classes protected by law and/or policy: age, ancestry, color, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental disability, military status, national origin, physical disability, pregnancy, race, religious creed, sex, veteran status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or applicable local law.
Conduct violating HR15-1 that results in a tangible employment action against an employee is strictly prohibited.
Retaliation Prohibited
Retaliation is an action taken against an employee for raising a concern or filing a complaint of workplace harassment or abusive conduct or for participating in an investigation or formal proceeding under harassment/abusive conduct prevention policies. Retaliation is prohibited under HR 15-2, and complaint processes are outlined in HR15-3.