Harassment Policy

The Lafayette Airport Commission will not tolerate the discrimination or harassment of Employees and/or applicants.

Harassment is conduct focused on a person or group of persons including, but not limited to: physical or verbal abuse, unwelcome activity of a sexual nature, retaliation as well as any behavior or action which interferes with an individual’s ability to perform assignments or which creates a hostile or intimidating work environment.

The following, though not all-inclusive, is a list of various types of harassment. 

1. Verbal Abuse – any language that degrades or berates others, including, but not limited to, racial, religious, or sexual comments, jokes, and sexual innuendoes.
2. Other Inappropriate Communications – Any such communication via any medium, be it phone, e-mail, internet sites, social media, blogs, posted pictures, cartoons, including actual or depicted nooses or burning crosses or other hostile or threatening symbols, jokes or gestures. 
3. Physical Abuse – includes touching, hitting, pushing, shoving, slamming, throwing, kicking or threatening another person, including restraining by force or blocking the path of another.
4. Interference or Hostile Environment – any behavior or action which interferes with an employee’s ability to perform work assignments or which results in or creates a hostile or intimidating work environment, including ostracism or the silent treatment.
5. Sexual Harassment – includes, but is not limited to, sexual advances, requests for sexual acts or favors and other physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

(a) Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implied as a term or condition of an individual’s employment;

(b) Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the individual; or

(c) Conduct that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.

6. Retaliation – any adverse action or threat of adverse action taken or made because an individual has exercised or attempted to exercise any rights, or opposed any violation of such rights under state or federal employment laws, or under the policies of LAC. Retaliation includes, but is not limited to:

(a) Verbal abuse;

(b) Threats of withholding or withdrawal of pay, promotions, training, or other employment opportunities;

(c) Any significant adverse treatment based on a retaliatory motive and likely to deter protected activity.

Comments, conduct, off color jokes and innuendoes that may be perceived as offensive or harassing are strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated. 

In addition, LAC will not tolerate the harassment of LAC employees by non-LAC personnel on LAC Premises.  Non-LAC personnel include, but are not limited to, customers, vendors, contractors, guests and regulators.

Any employee who feels he/she is the victim of discrimination or harassment has a responsibility to report this to his/her immediate Supervisor and the Human Resources Director (currently also the Financial Comptroller). Reporting of the incident should be made orally or in writing to the aforementioned.  

If the Human Resources Director and/or the employee’s direct Supervisor are themselves involved in the alleged harassment, the report should be made directly to the Executive Director of the Lafayette Airport Commission.   If the Executive Director of the Lafayette Airport Commission is involved in the alleged harassment, the report should be made directly to Chair of the Lafayette Airport Commission.  

A written complaint should include the specific nature of the incident, date and place of incident, names of all parties involved as well as a detailed report of all pertinent facts.  Complaints of harassment will be promptly and carefully investigated.  Investigations will include interviews with all relevant persons, including the accused and other potential witnesses.  

LAC cannot be expected to respond to situations it is unaware of, so prompt reporting – even where the harassment might seem marginal or the complainant might want to avoid confronting the situation – is essential; nevertheless, all Employees should be made aware that certain of their legal rights to redress for harassment may expire in as few as 180 days from the date of the harassing act.

Any Employee, who, in good faith, files a complaint of harassment, will be free from any and all reprisal or retaliation as a result of filing the complaint. Investigators will make every effort to strike a balance between the parties’ desires for privacy and the need to conduct a fair and effective investigation.

Harassment shall subject an Employee to disciplinary action up to and including termination.  Likewise, there will be disciplinary measures if in fact it is determined that the incident and thus the accusation were fabricated.