Georgia Tech has a responsibility to protect its employees from unlawful retaliation, and retaliation will not be tolerated at Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech has a strong interest in encouraging the reporting of misconduct and employees must be free from fear of retaliation to support that interest.
Retaliation against any employee, who, in good faith, files a complaint or grievance; seeks the aid of Human Resources; testifies or participates in investigations, compliance reviews, proceedings or hearings; or opposes actual or perceived violations of policy or unlawful acts is strictly forbidden. This policy does not protect an employee who provides information that she or he knows is false, files a bad faith retaliation claim, or participates in any illegal conduct. Georgia Tech will take timely and appropriate action, up to and including dismissal, against any employee who violates this non-retaliation policy.
This policy applies to all Georgia Tech employees, including student employees.
Definitions
| Retaliation | Retaliation is any materially adverse action taken or threatened against an employee because the employee has, in good faith, filed a complaint or grievance; sought the aid of Human Resources; testified or participated in investigations, compliance reviews, proceedings or hearings; or opposed actual or perceived violations of policy or unlawful acts. |
| Good Faith Reporting | A reasonable and sincere belief that the information provided is true. |
| Bad Faith Reporting |
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Reporting
If an employee believes that she or he has been retaliated against, the employee should contact one of the following resources to make a retaliation claim:
| Georgia Tech Office of Human Resources (Staff Complaints) | employee-relations@ohr.gatech.edu or 404-894-4847 |
| Georgia Tech Office of the Provost (Faculty Complaints) | vpgefd@gatech.edu or 404-385-5726 |
| Georgia Tech Ethics Hotline (Faculty or Staff Complaints) | https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/7508/index.html or 1-866-294-5565 The Georgia Tech Ethics Hotline is managed by a third-party vendor, available 24/7, that allows for confidential or anonymous reporting. |
Georgia Tech takes retaliation very seriously. Reports of retaliation made to the Office of Human Resources, Office of the Provost, or the Georgia Tech Ethics Hotline will be investigated in a thorough and timely manner. Any employee who is found to have retaliated against another employee at Georgia Tech will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from Georgia Tech. Enforcement of any underlying policy violations by Georgia Tech employees will be referred to and handled through applicable individual policies.
| Revision Date | Author | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 03-01-2018 | Human Resources | New Policy |