Harassment-free work environment policy

Philosophy

Consistent with our Corporate Objective for Commitment to Employees and our Best Work Environment Policy, our policy and practice at HP is to maintain a work environment free of all forms of harassment—one where customers, employees, suppliers, business partners, visitors and shareowners are treated with dignity, respect and courtesy. HP work environment is defined as anywhere HP employees are conducting business on HP’s behalf, including, but not limited to, in person, on the phone, virtually, or through email or other Internet communications channels, as well as on HP premises and at company-sponsored events.

Policy

Work Environment Harassment

Harassment is a form of discrimination. It includes offensive verbal, physical, or visual behavior and actions directed toward an individual, based upon the individual's gender, color, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, covered veteran status or protected genetic information and political affiliation. Any comments or conduct that fails to respect the dignity and feeling of the individual are unacceptable at HP.

Sexual Harassment

A harassment-free work environment also means no sexual harassment. All forms of sexual harassment are unacceptable in HP’s work environment.

Sexual harassment can take many forms. Any behavior toward any employee by an HP manager or coworker that includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or the physical or computer image display of sexually-explicit posters, pictures, cartoons or drawings and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature will be considered to be sexual harassment when:

• Submission to such conduct is made a condition of an individual's employment; or 
• Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting an individual; or
• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an unfriendly or offensive work environment.

All HP employees are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the letter and spirit of this policy. HP will not tolerate any sexual harassment in our work environment. Any employee who engages in offensive and humiliating conduct in violation of this policy, whether it is directed toward a co-worker, customer, supplier, business partner, visitor or shareowner will be subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal.

Legal Liability for Sexual Harassment

In the United States, state and federal laws provide that an employer may be held legally responsible for acts of sexual harassment committed by one employee toward another. In addition, an employer is responsible for non-employee actions toward employees while on HP premises or at company-sponsored activities. The person subjected to sexual harassment may be entitled to monetary damages even if no economic loss has occurred. These legal requirements simply reinforce the long-standing HP philosophy stated above. HP has always emphasized the personal dignity and worth of an individual in the work environment.

Reporting Harassment

Any employee believing that he or she has been harassed, or who has witnessed harassment, should exercise HP's Open Door Policy to report any such incident to his or her manager, the next level of management or Human Resources. Employees who in good faith report harassment are protected from retaliation.

• All complaints of harassment are treated as confidential to the extent consistent with the need to conduct a fair, complete and responsive investigation.
• Employees who participate in the resolution of a complaint for harassment are also protected from retaliation.

Management Responsibility

Management will thoroughly and promptly investigate every reported incident of harassment. Management will protect the privacy and confidentiality of all parties involved to the extent possible consistent with a thorough investigation. As with those employees who report harassment, employees who participate in good faith in any investigation of harassment are protected from retaliation. When a complaint of harassment is substantiated, management will take appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Grievance Policy

If you have a question or wish to discuss a possible violation, you should first discuss it with those in your management chain. If you are not comfortable with that approach for any reason, or if no action is taken, please contact the Ethics and Compliance office by online web form or call the Ethics Helpline from anywhere in the world 24 hours a day. Translators are available and callers can remain anonymous, except where anonymous reporting is prohibited by local law.

From the U.S.: 1-800-461-9330
Outside the U.S., find your direct in-country phone line here.