Workplace Sexual Harassment Prevention and Complaint Notice | Respecting Colleagues’ Boundaries for a Safe Workplace

Mapleton Motel values every employee’s dignity and safety at work. This notice focuses on interactions between colleagues and between supervisors and subordinates. It explains the boundaries that should be respected, how to make a complaint, and the principles for handling complaints. The legal protections available to employees and job applicants are not limited by the focus of this notice.

1 Respecting Boundaries with Colleagues

Sexual demands, sexually suggestive conduct or gender-discriminatory words or actions at work may create an offensive, intimidating or hostile environment. Using authority at work to demand intimate personal interactions, or making work-related benefits contingent on compliance with sexual demands, may also constitute sexual harassment. Whether conduct constitutes sexual harassment must be determined in light of the specific facts. Saying it was “just a joke” or that “no harm was intended” does not excuse the conduct.

Avoid unwelcome sexual innuendo, comments about intimate physical features, messages or images of a sexual nature, and physical contact without consent. If the other person is not interested, stop asking them out or making romantic advances. Silence, freezing or not resisting at the time does not mean consent. Boundaries must also be respected in work-related group chats and private messages.

2 Reporting Inappropriate Words or Conduct

If you are threatened, first leave the dangerous situation and seek help. If there is immediate danger, contact the police. Do not put yourself at risk to collect evidence. If it is safe and you wish to do so, you may express your refusal. Being unable to refuse at the time does not affect your ability to seek help. Once you are safe, you may record the time, place and what was said or done, and keep relevant records such as messages you already have.

Internal complaint contact: Mapleton Motel’s official LINE account (@nlw7959e). Complaints are received by personnel designated by the motel. You may send a private message saying, “I would like to make a workplace sexual harassment complaint,” and state how you would like to be contacted. You may also provide relevant evidence. You do not need to disclose details in public comments or employee group chats. The official LINE account is a contact channel for complaints. Records will subsequently be confirmed and the matter handled in accordance with government requirements. An automatic reply or a read receipt does not replace actual receipt and handling of a complaint.

3 Principles for Complaints and Their Handling

Complaints are handled confidentially by personnel designated by the motel. Anyone with a conflict of interest must recuse themselves. If the person complained against is the highest-ranking person in charge or the employer, a complaint may be made directly to the local labor authority in accordance with the law. The process must be objective and impartial, with both parties given an opportunity to state their position and respond. Once the employer becomes aware of an incident, it must immediately take effective corrective and remedial measures. The local competent authority must also be notified as required by law when a complaint is received and when an investigation finds that the complaint is substantiated.

Under current requirements, the employer must conclude the case within two months, counting from the day after the complaint is received. An extension of one month is permitted when necessary, and the parties must be notified. The decision must include reasons and be communicated to both parties in writing. If the complaint is substantiated, appropriate disciplinary or other action must be taken in light of the circumstances and applicable rules, and implementation of the measures must be followed up.

If the employer fails to handle the matter, or if the employer’s investigation or disciplinary outcome is disputed, a complaint may also be made to the local labor authority in accordance with the law. The internal LINE channel does not replace these external complaint rights. Please confirm the applicable time limits with the competent authority.

4 Confidentiality and Protection against Retaliation

Complaints are handled in a non-public process. Information identifying the parties and those assisting with the investigation must be kept confidential, except in circumstances permitted by law, such as when necessary for the investigation or for public safety. Do not share information without authorization, discuss the matter publicly or exert pressure. An employer must not dismiss, transfer or otherwise disadvantage an employee for making or assisting with a complaint.

If colleagues witness inappropriate words or conduct, they may, when it is safe, help the person leave the scene, preserve relevant records or seek support, without blaming them or pressing them for details. Respecting people’s wishes, handling complaints appropriately and preventing retaliation are shared responsibilities in maintaining a safe workplace.