National Aeronautics and Space Administration

N A S A A N T I - H A R A S SM E N T 

POLICY AND PROCEDURES

STRIVING FOR A WORK ENVIRONMENT FREE FROM HARASSMENT

www.nasa.gov
NASA Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedures

NASA, as an employer and a Federal agency, is committed to creating and maintaining a 

workplace environment that encourages and empowers each individual employee to perform

at his or her best. Harassment, therefore, has no place at NASA. It is NASA’s longstanding 

policy that harassment in the workplace is prohibited and will not be tolerated. This prohibitio

applies to harassment by anyone, including supervisors, coworkers, and contractor personne

in the workplace at any NASA facility. 

The Agency’s Anti-Harassment Procedures are designed to assist NASA in 

1) preventing harassing conduct before it becomes severe or pervasive, i.e., harassment 

within the meaning of antidiscrimination laws;

2) conducting a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into allegations of harassing 

conduct; and

3) taking immediate and appropriate corrective action when the Agency determines that 

harassing conduct has occurred.

This brochure provides NASA employees with information about anti-harassment policy and 

procedures. For more detailed information, please refer to NPR 3713.3.1

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l, 

1. NASA Procedural Requirements 3713.3, accessible at http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?t=NPR&c=3713&s=3.

NASA ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURES: STRIVING FOR A WORK ENVIRONMENT FREE FROM HARASSMENT 1
Harassment Defined

Harassment (or harassing conduct) is defined by NASA Anti-Harassment Procedures as

Any unwelcome conduct, verbal or physical, based on an individual’s race, 

color, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, 

status as a parent, gender identity, genetic information, or retaliation... 

when: (1) the behavior can reasonably be considered to adversely affect the 

work environment or (2) an employment decision affecting the employee is 

based upon the employee’s acceptance or rejection of such conduct.

2 NASA ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURES: STRIVING FOR A WORK ENVIRONMENT FREE FROM HARASSMENT

What Does Harassment in the Workplace Look Like?

All NASA managers, supervisors, and employees have a role to play in helping to maintain a 

work environment that is free from harassing conduct. Examples of behavior inconsistent with 

NASA’s anti-harassment policy include, but are not limited to, the following:

n Threatening that rejection of sexual overtures will affect appointments, promotions, 

transfers, or evaluations.

Creating belittling caricatures or objects depicting persons of a particular race, national 

origin, religion, or other protected category.

Telling racial or ethnic jokes or stories.

Teasing, mimicking, or repeatedly commenting on an individual’s disability, accent, or 

other protected category.

Making offensive comments, jokes, or suggestions about an employee’s gender.

Making obscene or lewd comments, slurs, jokes, epithets, suggestions, or gestures.

Commenting on an employee’s body or sexual characteristics.

Displaying nude or sexually suggestive objects, pictures, images, or cartoons.

Continuing prohibited behavior after a coworker has objected.

Laughing at, ignoring, or retaliating against an employee who complains.

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Note: The conduct must be unwelcome. Therefore, the perspective of the recipient—i.e., 

the person subjected to 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.

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How the Anti-Harassment Process Works

An employee who believes he or she has been subjected to harassing conduct can report the 

matter to his or her immediate supervisor (or second-line supervisor in the event the first-line 

supervisor is the alleged harasser); the Center Anti-Harassment Coordinator, or CAHC (see p. 12 

for contact information); or any other official designated by the Center Director.

Supervisors or managers who observe or are notified of harassing conduct are required to 

assess the situation immediately and consult with the CAHC, as well as subject-matter experts 

in NASA’s legal, human resources, and equal employment opportunity (EEO) communities. 

After consultation with the CAHC and other officials as needed, supervisors and managers 

may conduct an appropriate inquiry or fact-finding. Depending on the circumstances, the 

supervisor may also be advised to provide appropriate interim relief during the process.

The supervisor, in consultation with subject-matter experts, will make the ultimate 

determination as to whether the conduct violated the policy and, if so, what type of corrective 

action is warranted. Any employee, supervisor, or manager who is found to have violated 

NASA’s anti-harassment policy or procedures may be subjected to appropriate disciplinary 

action, up to and including removal.

NASA ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURES: STRIVING FOR A WORK ENVIRONMENT FREE FROM HARASSMENT 7
Harassing Conduct and Contract Employees

When a contract employee is alleging harassment by a NASA employee, or vice versa, this 

should be reported to the CAHC for further guidance and processing consistent with NASA 

Anti-Harassment Procedures. While NASA does not have the authority to address and rectify 

allegations of harassment raised by contractors against other contractors, it is expected 

that all contract employees performing duties on NASA premises will refrain from engaging 

in harassing conduct. NASA management has an obligation to ensure that NASA employees 

are working in an environment free of harassment. Therefore, in instances where a NASA 

employee has been advised of a contract employee being harassed by another contract 

employee at a NASA facility, the NASA employee should report this concern to the Contracting 

Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) or director of procurement for referral to the 

appropriate contracting official.

8 NASA ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURES: STRIVING FOR A WORK ENVIRONMENT FREE FROM HARASSMENT


How Do NASA Anti-Harassment Procedures 

Differ from the EEO Complaints Process?

The Anti-Harassment Procedures set up a process for management to address employee 

allegations of harassment and take immediate and appropriate corrective action, including the 

use of disciplinary actions, to eliminate harassing conduct regardless of whether the conduct 

violated the law. The goal of anti-harassment policy and procedures is to address harassing 

conduct at the earliest possible stage before it can become “severe or pervasive” harassment 

within the meaning of antidiscrimination laws. 

The Anti-Harassment Procedures do not affect rights under the EEO complaints process. The 

Anti-Harassment Procedures process is entirely separate and apart from the EEO complaints 

process. This means that an employee who reports allegations of harassment in accordance 

with NASA Anti-Harassment Procedures has not filed an EEO complaint. An employee who 

wishes to file a discrimination complaint should contact his/her Center EEO Office within 45 

days of the alleged harassing conduct. An employee may also pursue both avenues of redress 

simultaneously.

NASA ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURES: STRIVING FOR A WORK ENVIRONMENT FREE FROM HARASSMENT 1 1
Where To Obtain Further Information About the 

Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedures

For additional information, contact your Center Anti-Harassment Coordinator 

(http://odeo.hq.nasa.gov/documents/NASA_CAHCs.pdf), or the Agency Anti-Harassment 

Coordinator at 202-358-2167.

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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