When interacting with InterExchange employees or on InterExchange premises, Host Family/Employer/Participant agrees to act in accordance with all InterExchange  policies known to them, including but not limited to the policy against discrimination and harassment.

Policy Prohibiting Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation

InterExchange prohibits harassing, discriminatory and/or retaliatory conduct in the workplace, whether based upon race, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), color, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, religion, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), genetic information, marital status, familial status, status as a covered veteran, criminal history, status as a victim of domestic violence  or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law (“Protected Characteristics”). Such conduct is prohibited whether committed by supervisory or non-supervisory personnel, a vendor, visitor, contractor or other third party interacting with InterExchange employees. Vendors, contractors and other third parties are expected to interact with InterExchange employees in a professional and courteous manner consistent with the standards set forth in this policy.

Specifically, no vendor, visitor, contractor or other third party interacting with InterExchange employees may engage in any conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment based upon an individual’s Protected Characteristics, whether at work or at a work-related event, conference, or company-sponsored function, on a company-sponsored business trip, and when working remotely at home, such as through virtual meetings and messaging apps.  

InterExchange prohibits discrimination and harassment based on any Protected Characteristic.

Discrimination under this policy means treating differently or denying or granting a benefit to an individual because of the individual’s Protected Characteristic.

Harassment on the basis of any Protected Characteristic is also strictly prohibited. Under this policy, harassment includes speech (either verbal or written) or conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group of people on the basis of a Protected Characteristic and that: a) has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment; b) has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance; or c) otherwise adversely affects an individual’s employment opportunities. 

Harassing conduct can be verbal (such as using epithets, slurs, insults, teasing or negative stereotyping based on a Protected Characteristic), physical (such as engaging in threatening, intimidating or hostile acts including physically threatening another, blocking someone’s way), or visual (such as offensive posters, symbols, cartoons, drawings, computer displays, text messages, social media posts or e-mails or other means, and sharing written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group based on a Protected Characteristic). These behaviors are unacceptable regardless of whether the conduct is engaged in by a supervisor, co-worker, client, customer, vendor or other third party. Such behavior violates this policy and may be unlawful. 

InterExchange also prohibits sexual harassment, which may include a range of subtle and not-so-subtle behaviors and may involve individuals of the same or different gender. Depending on the circumstances, these behaviors may include, but are not limited to:

• Unwelcome verbal or physical sexual advances;
• Requests for sexual favors; and
• All other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual or otherwise offensive nature where:
  • Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment; 
  • Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the individual;
  • Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

• Such conduct includes but is not limited to sexual flirtations, advances, or propositions; leering, making sexual gestures, or verbal abuse of a sexual or racial nature; sexual comments, jokes, innuendo or graphics; degrading comments regarding a person’s appearance; the display of sexually suggestive objects or pictures, including any that may be obtained or shown through the internet or computer software programs; sexual gestures, assault, impeding or blocking movements, or any uninvited unwelcome physical contact or touching; or
• Any other visual, verbal, or physical conduct or behavior deemed inappropriate by the Company that intimidates or creates a risk to the physical and/or mental health and safety of the individual. 

Sexual harassment also includes conduct that is not sexual in nature, such as discriminating against another person because of their gender, such as gender-role stereotyping, or treating others differently because of their gender, gender identity or expression, or perceived gender.

Remember, the impact of the behavior on the person who is the target, not the intent of the actor, is what matters when determining whether this policy has been violated. That means that making a joke or not intending to harass is not a defense. Any behavior in which a person is treated worse because of their gender (perceived or actual), sexual orientation, or gender expression is a violation of this policy.

InterExchange will not tolerate such activity from anyone, including contractors, vendors, visitors and other third parties. Sanctions will be enforced against individuals engaging in sexual harassment, up to and including termination of the contracting relationship. The prohibition against sexual harassment applies with equal force where the harasser and the victim are of the same gender/gender identity.

Any harassing and/or discriminatory conduct, including but not limited to the above examples, will not be tolerated and will result in appropriate action up to and including termination of InterExchange’s relationship with the party, and may lead to personal legal and financial liability for an individual found to have committed such wrongful conduct.