Our commitment to a safe workplace
Secretary Bunch reiterates that the Smithsonian does not tolerate harassment of any kind.
Like you, I value working at the Smithsonian. Every day I see how much our collective contributions create a better shared future for communities world-wide. The Smithsonian is a treasured resource, and I am thankful for the privilege of working here.
The privilege of being part of the Smithsonian community brings with it collective responsibilities. All employees should feel safe and valued at the Smithsonian, and we each play a critical role in creating that work environment. In the coming days, weeks, and months we will share several efforts underway to ensure our workplace reflects these values.
My entire career has been dedicated to equity and inclusion, and I reiterate that harassment has no place at the Smithsonian. Like all organizations, we must continue to come together to address and eliminate harassment of any kind. My senior leadership team and I are personally dedicated to fostering an inclusive, safe, and fair workplace where all staff can thrive and where matters can be raised and addressed quickly if harassment does occur.
I affirm on behalf of my senior leadership team that we will not tolerate any harassing behavior against any member of the Smithsonian community. We are committed to having mechanisms to report any such behavior if it occurs and to rectify it.
I have reminded our community in messages during the past two weeks that the SI Civil Program is where all employees and affiliated staff can report not only sexual harassment but harassing conduct of any kind, threats of violence, incidents of intimidation, or other fears or concerns regarding workplace culture. If you have a complaint or concern, please contact SI Civil Program Coordinator, Amanda Jones, at 202-633-6379. We also have a full list of resources and processes available to support employees.
Retaliation of any kind is not tolerated in our workplace. All members of the Smithsonian community, including our frontline workers and bargaining unit employees, are entitled to raise concerns they have about health, safety, or workplace culture. I personally expect all supervisors, managers, and other leaders to be receptive to those concerns and to ensure that they are addressed through appropriate channels and without repercussion to the individuals who raised them.
I encourage all staff to become familiar with the SI Civil Program and the resources it provides and use them as needed.
When I visited many of our locations over the past few months, I was struck once more by the dedication and commitment of the Smithsonian community. I commend all Smithsonian staff for valuing and caring for our patrons, for helping us continue our world-class research, and for supporting our education and outreach activities. We greatly value all of you and the work that you do to bring about our better shared future. Our collective strength and commitment to do what is right will result in meaningful contributions to our work environment now and in the future.
Thank you again for all that you do for the Smithsonian.
Smithsonian Anti-Harassment Policy: Directive 225
Statements from the Secretary regarding sexual harassment at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Statement from the Under Secretary for Science and Research
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Posted: 14 December 2021
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