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SI Civil ,

O Smithsonian AI

FY 2021

SI Civil Program

Annual Report on Harassment and

Workplace Culture at the Smithsonian

Institution

Prepared by:

SI Civil Coordinator

Smithsonian Institution

Office of Human Resources

Labor and Employee Relations January 2022
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Introduction SI Civil

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Where we are.

The Smithsonian has always been

committed to maintaining a work

environment that is free from harassment

and workplace violence. The purpose of

this report is to highlight the

Smithsonian’s harassment and workplace

violence prevention efforts and how SI

responds to reports of concerning

behaviors. In FY 2021, the Smithsonian

implemented enhanced harassment and

workplace violence-related resources,

policies, and procedures. The goal was to

make it easier for employees and affiliated

individuals to report concerns and resolve

those concerns as quickly as possible. To

further this goal, we announced a new

program within the Office of Fluman

Resources called the SI Civil Program.

The updated Workplace Violence

Prevention Policy (SD 217), new AntiHarassment Policy (SD 225), and

associated SI Civil Flandbook outline how

individuals may report harassing conduct,

threats of violence, or incidents of

intimidation, and get information about

appropriate next steps. We are already

seeing a positive impact and are

confident the new resources SI Civil

provides to individuals will make

meaningful contributions to the

Smithsonian work environment now and in

the future. The information and data

contained in this report focuses on

reports compiled by SI Civil for FY 2021. It

does not include data related to EEO

complaints, which is administered by the

Office of Equal Employment and Supplier

Diversity (OEESD).
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Executive Summary SI Civil

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SI Civil Program Development and Implementation

New SI Civil Program announced Sl-wide January 4, 2021.

Began coordinating investigations and resolution of reports brought by individual employees,

affiliated individuals, and management.

Partnered with units and museums across the Institution to train staff and spread

awareness of the new program,policies, and reporting process.

FY21Cases and Trends

Cases

SI Civil received 65 reports related toharassment and workplace violence (including

sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment,retaliation, threats, intimidation, and

physical violence).

In187o of cases, a violation of Smithsonian policy was established and resulted in some

form of discipline (including reprimand, suspension, demotion, and removal).

There is no trend analysis for FY21SI Civil data because we are still building trust in the

reporting process and awareness of the SI Civil Program in general. We expect to conduct

basic trend analysis next year as we compile more reliable data and have more confidence

that individuals know how to report if they choose to do so.

Future Plans

Continue outreach and building awareness of the new program,reporting process, and

supportive resources available to individuals.

Offer additional training courses, partner with external organizations on training and outreach

events, and build partnerships within SI to reach as many individuals as possible.

Update policies to reflect feedback from stakeholders after1+ year of implementation.

Strengthen and expand guidance/toolkits related to SI Civil policies and topics, the reporting

process, and conducting administrative investigations.
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FY21Highlights SI Civil

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SI Civil Program Launch

Drafted and finalized two new Smithsonian Directives after extensive stakeholder review in

late 2020: Anti-Harassment Policy (SD 225) and Workplace Violence Prevention Policy (SD

217).

Sl-wide email, sent January 4, 2021, from the Secretary announcing the new policies and the

new “SI Civil Program,” which includes an enhanced reporting process and resources for all

Smithsonian employees and affiliated individuals.

Program marketing commenced in January 2021.

Coordinated investigations and resolution of reports related to threats of violence,incidents

of intimidation,harassment, or other concerning behaviors (including allegations of non-SI

Civil misconduct) brought by individual employees,affiliated individuals, and management.

Training and Outreach

Provided training to19 Smithsonian units, employee resource groups,individual

divisions/offices, and new supervisory groups related to the new SI Civil Program and

policies.

Partnered with a local DC advocacy organization to plan Smithsonian’s first Domestic

Violence Awareness Month webinar for October 2021.

Developed and conducted training related to anti-harassment and workplace violence

prevention, workplace dispute resolution, and bystander intervention strategies.

Assisted individual units on workplace climate issues and provided guidance to supervisors

on handling specific cases.
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SI Civil Program Overview SI Civil

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SI Civil Program Goals

The SI Civil Program,implemented in January 2021, is a resource for Smithsonian employees

and affiliated individuals may use to report threats of violence, incidents of intimidation,

harassment, or other concerning behaviors, and get information about appropriate next steps.

SI Civil’s goals are simple:

prevent potentially violent situations from occurring in the workplace;

address harassing behaviors before it becomes severe or pervasive;

promptly and objectively investigateincidents, when necessary; and

take immediate and appropriate corrective action when violations of policy occur.

SI Civil Policies

Anti-Harassment Policy (SD 225)

The goal of SD 225 is to address harassing conduct at the earliest possible stage,

regardless of whether the conduct is based on a protected class (e.g., race, sex,

disability).

The Smithsonian will not wait for harassing conduct to become severe or pervasive

before investigating and taking corrective action.

Workplace Violence Prevention Policy (SD 217)

The goal of SD 217 is to provide guidance for preventing and appropriately addressing

threatening or intimidating behavior, potentially violent situations, or incidents of

workplace violence .

All known incidents of threats, intimidation, or workplace violence will be taken

seriously and addressed promptly.

If the behavior involves a crime in progress or a specific threat of imminent bodily harm,

individuals should treat it as an emergency and contact local law enforcement.
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Individuals report 

concerning 

behaviors or 

incidents to SI Civil, 

unit HR liaisons, or 

a Smithsonian 

supervisor.

SI Civil conducts an 

initial inquiry and 

determines if an 

administrative 

investigation is 

necessary.

Smithsonian 

management, in 

consultation with SI Civil, 

reviews the information 

and takes corrective 

action, as necessary. 

Continued monitoring 

may be necessary.

If necessary, an 

administrative 

investigation is 

initiated after 

receiving 

authorization from the 

unit director.

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Reporting Process SI Civil

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SI Civil Reporting Process

The SI Civil reporting process is designed to be simple and keep the reporting individual informed

throughout the process.

Notes on the Reporting Process

Supervisors (including those in supervisory-like positions) are required to report incidents

covered by these policies to SI Civil within 24 hours.

Generally, there is no specific time limit for filing a report with SI Civil. However, individuals are

encouraged to report incidents as soon as possible so Smithsonian can conduct a thorough

inquiry.

SI Civil will notify the reporting party of the status of the report, when the issue has been

referred to the appropriate management officials, and when the matter has been addressed.

However,because of privacy rights and procedures, no further information will be provided.

Corrective action may include discipline (e.g.,removal or suspension), counseling,

reassignment, coaching, training, or a voluntary facilitated conversation.

Reporting includes required notifications to the Board of Regents and Office of Sponsored

Projects (OSP). OSP coordinates reporting to certain federal funding agencies that have

reporting requirements in specific situations related to individuals receiving awards.
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Other Resources SI Civil

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Finding Support at Smithsonian

In addition to the option of reporting to SI Civil, there are multiple Smithsonian resources

available to support individuals.

If an individual would like to discuss an incident or issue in a completely confidential setting,

they should contact the Employee Assistance Program or the Ombudsperson,both of which

operate under principles of confidentiality. Once an allegation is raised to a Smithsonian

management official or to SI Civil, the Smithsonian is required to initiate a prompt, objective,

and thorough investigation.

The Employee Assistance Program offers confidential guidance and counseling, free of

charge, on any issue. Additionally, the Smithsonian partnered with Inova Employee

Assistance to provide employees and members of their households additional services

(counseling in multiple languages available).

The Ombudsperson provides Smithsonian and affiliated individuals with a neutral,

independent,informal, and confidential alternative to address workplace issues and

conflicts.

Office of Equal Employment and Supplier Diversity

Employees and affiliated individuals who wish to file a formal discrimination complaint may do

so by contacting the Office of Equal Employment and Supplier Diversity (OEESD) within 45

calendar days of the date of the alleged discriminatory conduct. The EEO complaint process is

separate and distinct from the SI Civil reporting process.
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FY21Cases SI Civil

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SI Civil Aggregate Data and Trends

As the SI Civil Program establishes itself as an integral part of the Smithsonian workplace

culture, the total number of cases is expected to grow for at least the next 3 years. Although

this upward trend may initially seem concerning, it speaks to the enhanced reputation of the

program and that individuals feel comfortable enough to come forward and report concerns. We

expect to conduct basic trend analysis next year as we compile more reliable data and have more

confidence that individuals know how to report if they choose to do so.

SI Civil Cases

In FY 2021, there were a total of 65 reports.This includes every category of behavior covered by

SI Civil policies: sexual harassment, nonsexual harassment, threats, physical violence, or

multiple issues.The categories are fully defined in the SI Civil policies (SD 217 and SD 225).

The majority of reports were made by employees (53 reports).The remainder of reports were

initiated by affiliated individuals (10 reports) and visitors/external individuals (2 reports).

Although the facts of each case are unique and will result in various outcomes, we grouped the

case resolutions by category of outcome. A description of each category is included at the

bottom of page 10.
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*Allegations of retaliation are typically included with other issues in the “Multiple Issues” 

category.

Harassment (non-sexual)

Other

Multiple Issues

Sexual Harassment

Intimidation

Threat

Retaliation*

Physical Violence

Total

37

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2

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Case Count by Category

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FY21Cases SI Civil

Case by Category
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30 

20 

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Description of Outcome Categories:

❖ No Formal Action Required: This category includes complaints that were unsubstantiated or not 

related to SI Civil’s scope.

❖ Discipline: This category includes letters of reprimand, suspensions and demotions.

❖ Other Corrective Action: This category includes actions that are not disciplinary, such as 

facilitated conversations, coaching, letters of counseling, and reassignments.

❖ Removal: This refers to the termination of employment or affiliated individual privileges.

❖ Open: This refers to active cases where an outcome has yet to be determined.

No Formal Action Required

Other Corrective Action

Discipline

Removal

Open

Total

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16

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Case Count by Outcome*

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FY21Cases SI Civil

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Case Outcome

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