Anti-Sexual Harassment and Anti-Discrimination Policy

Effective Date: 11/05/2020

GoShare believes all our employees, contracted workers and customers deserve to be treated with dignity, decency, and respect. We created this policy to set forth our standards for those using our service, as well as our expectation that all interactions will be free of bias, prejudice, discrimination, and harassment.

Any victims of harassment or discrimination – whether customers, contractors, or employees – are encouraged to contact human resources immediately, by using the form found at: https://goshare.co/harassment-or-discrimination-complaint/. Any complaint or violation of GoShare’s policies and standards will be investigated in a timely manner and resolved appropriately.

Scope of This Policy

Any individual using GoShare’s platform, contracting with GoShare, or employed by GoShare is covered by and expected to comply with this policy. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action, which may include verbal or written reprimand, suspension or termination of employment, and suspension or termination of access to GoShare’s platform. The severity of the consequences will be determined by the seriousness of the situation.

Managers and supervisors who knowingly allow or tolerate discrimination, harassment or retaliation, including the failure to immediately report such misconduct are in violation of this policy and also subject to discipline, including termination or employment.

Prohibited Conduct Under This Policy

Our organization complies with all applicable federal, state and local anti-discrimination and harassment laws and regulations and our policy adheres to the following definitions and guidelines:

Discrimination:

Discriminatory treatment, in whole or in part, based on an individual’s race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or marital status will not be tolerated.

A variety of federal, state, and local laws strictly prohibit such forms of discrimination, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1967, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This policy is intended to comply with the prohibitions stated in these anti-discrimination laws.

Harassment:

Our organization prohibits harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment. Harassment is defined as any verbal or physical conduct designed to threaten, intimidate, or coerce.

The following examples of harassment are guidelines only and 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, sexual identity, 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.

Hitting, hurting, or otherwise intending to cause physical harm or injury to another person is never allowed.

Sexual harassment:

GoShare has zero-tolerance for any form of sexual harassment.

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 … when … submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for employment decisions … or such conduct has the purpose or effect of … creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.”

Sexual harassment may take different forms. The following examples of sexual harassment are guidelines only and are not exclusive when determining whether there has been a violation of this policy:

Verbal sexual harassment includes innuendoes, 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 including but not limited to: derogatory comments, epithets, slurs, or jokes.
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 including derogatory comments, epithets, slurs, or jokes.
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.

Delivery professionals and customers using the GoShare’s Platform are advised to:

Avoid behaviors and comments that would make others uncomfortable, including nudges, winks, and whistles.
Do not touch or flirt with someone you don’t know.
Avoid asking personal questions, such as if the other person is in a relationship or about their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Do not discuss your own sex life, use explicit language, or make jokes about sex while interacting with others using the GoShare platform.

All sexual contact is prohibited while using GoShare’s apps, website, or services, including during a project.

Unwanted Contact:

All contact should end once the delivery is complete, unless it is sanctioned through the GoShare platform as part of a follow-up service, such as returning a missing item, or as a result of a newly booked GoShare project.

Texting, calling, visiting, or trying to visit a GoShare user in person after a project is complete is not allowed.

Retaliation

No hardship, loss, benefit or penalty may be imposed 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; or
Serving as an investigator of a complaint.

However, filing groundless or malicious complaints is an abuse of this policy and will be treated as a violation. Any person who is found to have violated this aspect of the policy will be subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment and removal from the platform.

Confidentiality

GoShare treats all complaints and investigations confidentially to the extent possible, and discloses information strictly on a need-to-know basis.

The identity of the complainant is usually revealed to the parties involved during the investigation, and the investigating manager or director will take adequate steps to ensure the complainant is protected from retaliation during and after the investigation.

Complaint Procedure

GoShare has established the following procedure for submitting a complaint of harassment, discrimination or retaliation.

Submit a complaint as soon as possible after an incident has occurred, preferably in writing. Complaints should be submitted through the form at https://goshare.co/harassment-or-discrimination-complaint/. Complaints reported to GoShare’s customer service team, or other GoShare employees, including team managers and directors, will be forwarded to the appropriate HR contact.
Upon receipt of a complaint the investigating manager or director will notify senior management and review the complaint with the organization’s legal counsel.
The investigating manager or director will initiate an investigation to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for believing the alleged violation of this policy occurred.
Depending on the seriousness of the complaint, the customer or contractor involved may be temporarily suspended from using the platform during the course of the investigation.
During the investigation of the complainant, the respondent and any witnesses to the alleged incident will be interviewed to determine whether the conduct occurred.
Upon conclusion of an investigation, the manager or director conducting the investigation will submit a written report of his or her findings to human resources. If it is determined that a violation of this policy has occurred, the report 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, the report may recommend appropriate preventive action.

Senior management will review the investigative report and any statements by the complainant or respondent and decide what action, if any, to take.
Once senior management makes a final decision, the complainant and the respondent will be notified of the findings of the investigation. If the organization is to take disciplinary action, the respondent will be informed of the nature of the discipline and how it will be executed.

Alternative Legal Remedies

Nothing in this policy may prevent the complainant or the respondent from pursuing formal legal remedies or resolution through local, state or federal agencies or the courts.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about this policy, please reach out to us using the confidential form at https://goshare.co/harassment-or-discrimination-complaint/.