The New Jersey State Policy

The New Jersey State Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment or Hostile Environments in the Workplace (Policy) prohibits discrimination and harassment against State employees, prospective State employees, and persons doing business with the State of New Jersey on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex (including pregnancy), marital/civil union status, familial status, religion, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States, or disability (including mental disability, and perceived disability). To view policy, please visit
http://www.state.nj.us/personnel/EEO/pdf/harassment_policy.pdf.

Confidentiality and Retaliation

The provisions of the New Jersey State Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment or Hostile Environments in the Workplace require that all complaints and related investigations be confidential. Every individual involved in the investigation process is obligated to maintain confidentiality. This Policy also prohibits retaliation against anyone who files a complaint or participates in a complaint investigation.

How to File a Complaint

Incidents of harassment or discrimination within a State entity should be reported, immediately, to a supervisor or the EEO/AA Officer of the State entity in which the alleged incident occurred. Supervisors receiving complaints must immediately refer the matter to the appropriate EEO/AA Officer. Delays in reporting may prevent proper investigation.
Complaints may be filed using the Department of Personnel's Discrimination Complaint Processing Form, or any other written or verbal format. To access the Complaint Processing Form, visit
http://www.state.nj.us/personnel/forms/pdf/dpf-481.pdf

To view the Model Procedures for Internal Complaints Alleging Discrimination, Harassment or Hostile Environments in the Workplace, please visit
http://www.state.nj.us/personnel/EEO/pdf/EEO_internal_complaint.pdf.

Who can file:

Any employee, job applicant, or other individual doing business with a New Jersey State department, agency, commission or college may file a complaint of discrimination or harassment with the EEO/AA Officer of the state entity in which the alleged discrimination/harassment occurred.

If there is a conflict of interest, the complaint may be filed with the Division of EEO/AA at the Department of Personnel. In addition to filing an internal complaint, individuals have the right to file complaints simultaneously with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and/or the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR). Please be advised that both agencies have time limits for filing complaints. For more information, please visit their websites: www.eeoc.gov and www.state.nj.us/lps/dcr/index.html.