Partner Guidelines
28
H-E-B’s Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment,
and Unprofessional Conduct
You and every H-E-B Partner must have a positive and respectful work environment in order to fulfill our
Bold Promise to build the Greatest Retailing Company. H-E-B is firmly committed to taking all necessary
steps to eliminate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other unprofessional conduct from the
workplace.
H-E-B strictly prohibits any conduct that constitutes harassment, discrimination, or retaliation. Also,
unprofessional conduct, which may not rise to such a level, is prohibited. H-E-B will take appropriate
disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, even upon the first offense against
any Partner who exhibits or engages in this type of behavior. H-E-B will also promptly respond should a
Customer, Supplier, Contractor, or other person or entity doing business with H-E-B engage in unlawful or
unprofessional conduct.
Harassment, discrimination, or retaliation can include demeaning, insulting, embarrassing, or intimidating
behavior directed at any Partner because of his or her gender, sex, race, color, national origin, ancestry,
religion, physical or mental disability, age, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by law. If
harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or other unprofessional conduct is discovered at H-E-B, whether or
not there is a complaint, H-E-B will take prompt corrective measures in an effort to stop this conduct.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and any other
unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature (including sexual, obscene, or suggestive
remarks, questions, jokes, pictures, unwanted physical touching, staring, attire with obscene or sexually
graphic words or images, etc.). A Partner is being sexually harassed when submission to or rejection
of this unwelcome conduct is implicitly or explicitly a condition of employment and/or such conduct
enters into employment decisions or is used as a basis for employment decisions, such as promotions,
job assignments, or salary increases. Sexual harassment also occurs when unwelcome conduct creates an
offensive, intimidating, or hostile work environment for a Partner and/or unreasonably interferes with the
performance of his or her duties at H-E-B. If you feel you are the subject of any harassment, discrimination,
retaliation, or other unprofessional conduct, please follow the Reporting Procedure within this Partner
Guide.
Examples of Unacceptable Conduct
Illegal harassment, discrimination, or retaliation may take the form of verbal abuse, leering, gestures,
pictures, and more subtle advances and pressures. With sexual harassment, inviting activity of a sexual
nature or such other activity may also be included. Of course, unwelcome physical conduct would also
be recognized as conduct constituting discrimination, retaliation, and/or harassment, including sexual
harassment. While we can’t list them all, the following are just a few examples of behavior that may also be
considered prohibited conduct, discrimination, or harassment:
• Sexual, racial, or derogatory comments, conduct, or gestures, including racially or sexually oriented jokes or kidding.
• Physical conduct of a sexual nature, including assault, the blocking of normal movements or interference with work because of sex or
other protected status.
• Sexual advances or propositions.
•
Any display of discriminatory, harassing, or sexually suggestive drawings, documents, pictures, emails, cartoons, posters, and/or graffiti.
• A pattern of verbally abusive, threatening, crude, harassing, impolite, and unprofessional conduct, including the use of profanity.
• Other verbal or physical conduct such as epithets, derogatory comments, slurs, or unwanted sexual advances, invitations, or comments,
including racial or ethnic slurs or other verbal or physical conduct directed toward any racial, ethnic, or religious group or any other
protected group (i.e., conduct based upon a person’s gender, sex, disability, age, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, ancestry,
sexual orientation, or other protected status).