Our mission at INSPIREsmall.biz is to provide a welcoming place for everyone to grow, learn and connect. With the growth that we have experienced so far this year, I wanted to take this opportunity to reinforce the values we hold, and that are directly connected to our success.
Our Values
Honesty & Integrity: We’re committed to conducting ourselves in a respectful and professional manner with everyone.
Innovation: We provide learning opportunities and resources for entrepreneurs to thrive in a modern economy.
Serving Others: We support local organizations who serve those in need.
Anti-Harassment Policy
INSPIREsmall.biz strives to create and maintain an environment in which people are treated with dignity, decency and respect. The environment of our organization should be characterized by mutual trust and the absence of intimidation, oppression and exploitation. INSPIREsmall.biz will not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind.
All employees, members, leaders, and guests of any INSPIREsmall.biz event are covered by and are expected to comply with this policy and to take appropriate measures to ensure that prohibited conduct does not occur.
Prohibited Conduct Under This Policy
INSPIREsmall.biz, in compliance with all applicable federal, state and local anti-discrimination and harassment laws and regulations, enforces this policy in accordance with the following definitions and guidelines:
Discrimination
It is a violation of INSPIREsmall.biz policy to discriminate in the provision of opportunities, benefits or privileges; to create discriminatory conditions if the basis of that discriminatory treatment is, in whole or in part, the person’s race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status or political affiliation.
Discrimination in violation of this policy will be subject to disciplinary measures up to and including termination of employment, membership or attendance of INSPIREsmall.biz events.
Harassment
INSPIREsmall.biz prohibits harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment, and will take appropriate and immediate action in response to complaints or knowledge of violations of this policy. For purposes of this policy, harassment is any verbal or physical conduct designed to threaten, intimidate or coerce a member, leader, employee, guest, or any person working for or on behalf of, or attending an INSPIREsmall.biz event.
The following examples of harassment are intended to be guidelines and are not exclusive when determining whether there has been a violation of this policy:
Verbal harassment includes comments that are offensive or unwelcome regarding a person’s national origin, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, body, disability or appearance, including epithets, slurs and negative stereotyping.
Nonverbal harassment includes distribution, display or discussion of any written or graphic material that ridicules, denigrates, insults, belittles or shows hostility, aversion or disrespect toward an individual or group because of national origin, race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, appearance, disability, sexual identity, marital status or other protected status.
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination and is prohibited under the INSPIREsmall.biz anti-harassment policy. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment is defined as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature,”
Sexual harassment may take different forms. The following examples of sexual harassment are intended to be guidelines and are not exclusive when determining whether there has been a violation of this policy:
Verbal sexual harassment includes innuendos, suggestive comments, jokes of a sexual nature, sexual propositions, lewd remarks and threats; requests for any type of sexual favor (this includes repeated, unwelcome requests for dates); and verbal abuse or “kidding” that is oriented toward a prohibitive form of harassment, including that which is sexual in nature and unwelcome.
Nonverbal sexual harassment includes the distribution, display or discussion of any written or graphic material, including calendars, posters and cartoons that are sexually suggestive or show hostility toward an individual or group because of sex; suggestive or insulting sounds; leering; staring; whistling; obscene gestures; content in letters, notes, facsimiles, e-mails, photos, text messages, tweets and Internet postings; or other forms of communication that are sexual in nature and offensive.
Physical sexual harassment includes unwelcome, unwanted physical contact, including touching, tickling, pinching, patting, brushing up against, hugging, cornering, kissing, fondling, and forced sexual intercourse or assault.
Retaliation
No hardship, loss, benefit, membership or penalty may be imposed on an employee, member, guest or leader in response to:
- Filing or responding to a bona fide complaint of discrimination or harassment.
- Appearing as a witness in the investigation of a complaint.
- Serving as an investigator of a complaint.
Lodging a bona fide complaint will in no way be used against the employee, member or guest.
Complaint procedure
INSPIREsmall.biz has the following procedure for lodging a complaint of harassment, discrimination or retaliation. We will treat all aspects of the procedure confidentially to the extent reasonably possible.
- Complaints should be submitted as soon as possible after an incident has occurred, preferably in writing to Ryan Henry.
- Upon receiving a complaint or being advised by an INSPIREsmall.biz employee that violation of this policy may be occurring, we will notify senior management and review the complaint.
- INSPIREsmall.biz will initiate an investigation to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for believing that the alleged violation of this policy occurred.
During the investigation, we will interview the complainant, the respondent and any witnesses to determine whether the alleged conduct occurred. - Upon conclusion of an investigation, the person conducting the investigation will submit a written report of their findings to the company. If it is determined that a violation of this policy has occurred, an INSPIREsmall.biz leader will recommend appropriate disciplinary action. The appropriate action will depend on the following factors:
- the severity, frequency and pervasiveness of the conduct;
- prior complaints made by the complainant;
- prior complaints made against the respondent; and
- the quality of the evidence (e.g., firsthand knowledge, credible corroboration).
If the investigation is inconclusive or if it is determined that there has been no violation of policy but potentially problematic conduct may have occurred, we may recommend appropriate preventive action.
- INSPIREsmall.biz will review the investigative report and any statements submitted by the complainant or respondent, discuss results of the investigation as appropriate, and decide what action, if any, will be taken.
Once a final decision is made by senior management, an INSPIREsmall.biz employee will meet with the complainant and the respondent separately and notify them of the findings of the investigation. If disciplinary action is to be taken, the respondent will be informed of the nature of the discipline and how it will be executed.
Read our full Anti-Harassment Policy and Complaint Procedure
