The Harassment Prevention Program (HPP) is a department within the Office of Resolution Management (ORM), supporting all of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). HPP provides centralized tracking, monitoring and reporting processes to proactively respond to allegations of harassment, whether or not accompanied by a complaint on an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) basis. HPP reports harassment allegations to VA leadership to ensure that prompt corrective measures are taken to decrease harassing behavior in the workplace. HPP is responsible for providing education and awareness training on the harassment program.
What is Harassment?
Harassment is any unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct based on race, color, national origin, religion, age (40 and above), sex, disability, genetic information, or reprisal for prior EEO activity. Harassment becomes unlawful where:
- Enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment, or
- Conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive
Note: The conduct must be unwelcome; therefore, the perspective of the recipient—i.e., the person subjected to the behavior or the person witnessing the behavior—as to whether the behavior is viewed as offensive, demeaning, or hostile is a primary consideration in determining whether the behavior constitutes harassing conduct.
Definition
Genetic Information includes information about an individual or family member’s genetic tests, as well as family medical history.
Steps to Take, Stop, & Report Harassment
- If you feel safe and comfortable doing so, tell the individual engaging in the inappropriate or harassing conduct that their actions are unwelcomed and must stop.
- If their behavior continues, or you do not feel comfortable addressing the individual directly, please report the matter through one of the following channels:
- Your immediate supervisor, provided they are not involved in the alleged harassing conduct.
- Another supervisor or management official, if your immediate supervisor is the subject of the complaint.
- The supervisor of the employee engaging in the inappropriate or harassing conduct.
- The Harassment Prevention Coordinator (HPC).
- The HPP Office at 1-888-566-3982, Option 3.
All reports must be treated with the utmost confidentiality and seriousness in accordance with VA policy.
Steps the Harassment Prevention Program (HPP) will take to help stop harassment and support you
Notify management and/or your local Harassment Prevention Coordinator (HPC)
HPP will coordinate with the HPC to ensure management is aware and addresses timely all allegations assigned to them throughout the process.
VA Administrations and Staff Office Managers/Supervisors will begin to address (usually within five business days) any incident of inappropriate and harassing behavior (e.g., separate the alleged perpetrator of sexual harassment from the employee alleging harassment; begin an inquiry, factfinding, mediation, administrative investigation, to the extent possible).
Allegations involving senior leaders, as defined in VA Directive 0500, must be reported to Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP). OAWP may investigate these allegations.
Take action to help stop harassment
Our dedicated team will provide guidance to management on ways to help stop the harassment and help make sure it doesn’t happen again.
You will be contacted after the completion of an inquiry or investigation
HPP will answer any questions you may have and connect you with any counseling or ongoing support you may need to feel safe at VA.
How is the HPP process different from the EEO process?
The EEO process is designed to make individuals whole for discrimination that has already occurred through damage awards and equitable relief paid by the agency, and to prevent the recurrence of unlawful discriminatory conduct. However, the EEO process cannot require an agency to discipline its employees.
The HPP requires that immediate and appropriate corrective actions are taken to eliminate harassing conduct regardless of whether the conduct violated the law or whether an employee pursues an EEO complaint.The HPP will solely focus on taking necessary action to promptly bring the harassment to an end or prevent it from occurring at all.
Learn more about Harassment
Review the resources below for additional information harassment and retaliation:
- VA Directive 5979 Establishes VA’s harassment prevention policy and outlines roles and responsibilities to help VA maintain a workplace free from harassment.
Review VA Directive 5979 (currently under review) - VA Handbook 5979 (HPP Handbook) Governs the policy and procedures for consistent processing of allegations of harassment and sexual harassment within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Review VA Handbook 5979 (currently under review)
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation and Related Issues. EEOC has prepared questions and answers about retaliation and related issues.
Read more about EEOC Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation and Related Issues on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website
- EEOC Information on Harassment. EEOC provides general information on harassment as a form of employment discrimination.
Read more about EEOC Information on Harassment on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website
- Promising Practices for Preventing Harassment. EEOC addresses promising practices to assist employers in preventing and addressing harassment.
Read more about Promising Practices for Preventing Harassment on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website
- Facts about Sexual Harassment. EEOC provides general facts on sexual harassment.
Read more about sexual harassment on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website
HPP Training (VA Employees)
ORM provides specialized HPP training for VA employees. Request a training session for VA employees using the HPP Training Form.
