Anti-harassment policy.
A serious anti-harassment policy covering definitions, examples, reporting channels, investigation procedure, and consequences. Drafted to satisfy current US Title VII and AU Fair Work expectations.
ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY — [Company Name] 1. Scope and commitment [Company Name] is committed to a workplace free from harassment, discrimination, bullying, and retaliation. This Policy applies to all directors, officers, employees, contractors, interns, and volunteers, in all work-related contexts — at company premises, at client sites, at company events, in digital and remote communication…
What's inside the document.
Plain commitment statement; who the policy applies to; jurisdictions covered.
Harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying, retaliation. Examples drawn from current case law.
Specific examples — verbal, non-verbal, physical, digital, in-person and remote. Bystander complicity included.
Multiple paths — direct manager, HR, anonymous hotline, external regulator. The employee chooses.
Acknowledgement, interim measures, investigator independence, evidence handling, timeline, findings.
What is kept confidential, what cannot be, and the limits of confidentiality during investigation.
Protection for complainants and witnesses; consequences for retaliators.
Disciplinary outcomes, EAP / counselling support, return-to-work plans.
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
Three formats, one document.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
5 steps from download to use.
- 01Replace the company-name and reporting-channel placeholders. Multiple channels are mandatory; do not leave only one path.
- 02Confirm the investigator-independence language matches your structure — a dedicated HR partner, an external investigator, or both.
- 03Have employment counsel review the definitions and consequences sections against current case law.
- 04Communicate the policy at issue and again at every onboarding cycle and annual refresher training.
- 05Audit reporting volume annually — zero reports is a red flag, not a sign of compliance.
The right document at the right moment.
Use this policy from your first hire. The anti-harassment policy is the single most-defended HR document; many jurisdictions mandate its existence and content. Ship it on day one.
Update annually and after any material change in legislation (e.g. AU psychosocial safety regulations 2023, US EEOC enforcement guidance updates).
Honest answers before you download.
- Is the policy enough on its own?
- No — it must be paired with training, accessible reporting channels, and visible enforcement. The policy is the contract; the system is the practice. Both matter, separately.
- What if the complaint is against the CEO or a senior leader?
- The policy must designate an external investigator path for those cases. Internal HR cannot independently investigate the CEO; the board's audit or risk committee oversees, with external counsel running the investigation.
- Does the policy apply off-premises?
- Yes — at company events, on client sites, at industry conferences, and in digital communication. The policy should explicitly say so.
This anti-harassment policy template is a professionally drafted starting point and is not legal advice. The clauses follow current US and AU practice; adapt the document for your specific jurisdiction and have qualified counsel review any clauses you add before signing or distributing. Full disclaimer.