As of today, February 3rd, 2016, by order of the Director of Development and in consultation with the Director of Operations, the following policy is hereby established:
A Policy to Prohibit Discrimination and Promote Diversity
This notice applies to all contractors, sub-contractors, managers, employees and owners of LanguageStat, LLC, an Oregon registered company with operations based in Smyrna, Georgia. LanguageStat has contractors and clients across the country.
1a. LanguageStat will not in any way base employment opportunities, benefits, promotions, contract awards or other preferential treatment based on on any of the criteria listed below in section F of this clause, except as legally permissible under programs to promote diversity in hiring.
1b. LanguageStat will not in any way deny opportunity nor permit unwarranted punitive actions by any member of our staff (including employees, managers and contractors) based on any of the criteria listed below in section F of this clause.
1c. All benefits available at any level for employees, contractors, managers, directors and/or owners will be equally available (or not) and equally administered to all eligible individuals at the same level without regard to any of the criteria identified in section F of this clause.
1d. It will be considered a violation of LanguageStat policy for any employee, representative, contractor or sub-contractor to fail to comply, through action or voluntary inaction, at any time with any of the first three sections of this clause; any suspected or reported violations will be investigated; and disciplinary measures will be taken as appropriate if violations are substantiated, as well as appropriate
1e. LanguageStat will not retaliate in any way against employees, contractors, vendors or clients for the reporting of violations of this policy. Retaliation would be considered a serious violation of this policy. Substantiated serious violations will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment/termination of contract.
1f. The criteria protected in the previous sections of this clause are as follows:
-Gender/Sex
-Age
-Race/color/ancestry
-National origen
-Religion/creed
-Gender identity
-Sexual orientation
-Disability
-Marital status (and/or domestic partner status as applicable)
-HIV/AIDS status
-Height
-Weight
2. LanguageStat will take proactive steps to create a welcoming corporate policy and corporate culture, inviting a diversity of viewpoints and proactively promoting diversity within our organization and community.
3. LanguageStat will consider skills and experience relevant to the job task when making contracting/hiring/promotion decisions.
4. For purposes of benefits administration, and any other relevant purposes within the organization, all benefits and policies regarding heterosexual married couples apply equally to married or registered homosexual couples, and to couples where one or both parties is transgendered or intersex. Domestic partnerships, civil unions, or other legal equivalents will be administered equally to marriage for couples whose jurisdictions issue these documents in place of marriage, or where these documents were previously issued and are still recognized under law. Individuals who are in a long-term, binding, exclusive relationship with a person of the same sex/gender or where one or both partners is transgendered/intersex, but who reside in a jurisdiction where marriage or its equivalent registration is not available may submit a statement signed by both parties which can be used in lieu of marriage/registration for the equal administration of benefits, provided neither member is otherwise married/registered.
5. Foster children, legal stepchildren, and legal children of a domestic partner will be eligible for benefits equally to those benefits available to children/stepchildren/foster children of the married spouse of an equivalent employees/managers/contractors, except where prohibited by law.
6. Any insurance plans, retirement funds, or other benefit plans offered be LanguageStat will have language inclusive of spouses and domestic partners equally, and/or will specify that the term spouse includes and encompasses domestic partners for the purpose of the language of the the contract/plan.
7. Any employee handbooks or other employee materials should have language inclusive of spouses and domestic partners equally, and/or should specify that the term spouse includes and encompasses domestic partners for the purpose of the language of the the document. In the event such language is absent, the term “spouse” should be taken to include both spouses and domestic partners for all company purposes and in all company provided documentation.
8. All stakeholders, including employees, managers, contractors, sub contractors, vendor employees and client employees have a right to report - anonymously or attributed- violations or suspected violations of any part of this policy without fear of reprisal. The company encourages reporting through its website at www.languagestat.com/ethics and will review and investigate all allegations, and take appropriate action as indicated.