The City of Philadelphia is committed to providing a diverse, inclusive, safe workplace. The City prohibits all forms of work-related harassment, including sexual harassment.
You should file a complaint if:
- You believe you have experienced or witnessed unwelcome sexually harassing behavior based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity by a City employee.
- You are a City employee and you believe you have experienced or witnessed unwelcome sexually harassing behavior based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity in the workplace.
If your complaint is against an employee of the School District of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Parking Authority or SEPTA, contact those agencies directly.
The Department of Labor’s Employee Relations Unit (ERU) is responsible for overseeing and ensuring compliance with the City’s policies regarding Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and sexual harassment.
How to submit a complaint
You can submit your complaint through an online form. On this form, you can include:
- Information about yourself.
- Information about the accused.
- Details about the incident(s) you are reporting. This may include:
- When and where it happened.
- A description of the incident.
- Information about any witnesses.
- Information on the outcome or corrective action that you are seeking.
You should provide as much detail as possible about your complaint. Incomplete information may lead to an incomplete investigation.
What happens next
The investigator will contact you to discuss your complaint. They will also try to get statements from all participants and witnesses of the alleged incident.
Sexual harassment is considered to be discrimination on the basis of sex, which is a protected category under the City’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies. For this reason, the investigator will also assess whether a violation of the Mayor’s statement of EEO policy took place, in addition to a violation of the sexual harassment prevention policy.
A letter of findings will be provided to the person who filed the complaint, the person the complaint was filed against, and the Appointing Authority.
The Appointing Authority will, after review and consultation with the ERU, determine an appropriate level of discipline for the person the complaint was filed against. If the charge results in discipline, documentation will be placed in the personnel file of the person the complaint was filed against.