June 22, 2018
Foundation Capital
Foundation Capital Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Policy
At Foundation Capital, our mission is to support outstanding entrepreneurs and build great companies. As a firm co-founded by a woman and whose partnership is comprised of men and women, immigrants from four continents, and Americans from each part of the country—our notion of what an entrepreneur or an investor might look like is expansive.
We seek excellence in infinite variety. We believe the tech community should welcome and include all people. And we are working towards that ideal through the diversity of our recruitment and hiring, programs such as our Female Founders events, our backing of a diverse set of executives and entrepreneurs, and our commitment to ensuring that the culture of Foundation Capital and its companies is one in which everyone feels empowered, respected, and valued.
Below we elaborate more formally on behavior that is anathema to these ideals. In brief, harassment and discrimination are incompatible with how Foundation Capital operates and what we aspire to be as an organization. Any such inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated, in either internal interactions or professional activity outside the workplace. This policy applies equally to partners and non-partners, employees and contractors, interns and consultants, entrepreneurs-in-residence and entrepreneurs at large, all persons involved in our operations and anyone with whom we do business.
POLICY
Foundation Capital is committed to providing a workplace free of sexual or other unlawful harassment. As part of this commitment, Foundation Capital strictly prohibits harassment of employees in the workplace based on race, color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, family care or medical leave status, veteran or military status, or any other basis protected by federal or state laws.
Consistent with state and federal law, this anti-harassment policy applies to all employees of Foundation Capital, including managers, supervisors, and co-employees. This policy also applies to non-employees at the workplace or interacting outside the workplace with our employees on Foundation Capital related business—including but not limited to entrepreneurs, visitors to our facilities, clients, customers, and vendors. As such, Foundation Capital will attempt to protect employees from any third person in the workplace who it knows or should have known is violating this policy. Similarly, Foundation Capital will not tolerate harassment by its employees of non-employees with whom Foundation Capital has a business, service, or professional relationship, which includes entrepreneurs with whom we are evaluating the establishment of an investment relationship.
PROHIBITED CONDUCT
Harassment occurs when conduct interferes with an employee’s work performance or creates an intimidating or offensive work environment, based upon an employee’s race, color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, family care or medical leave status, veteran or military status, or any other basis protected by federal or state laws. Harassing conduct can take many forms and may include, but is not limited to, the following: slurs, jokes, statements, gestures, assault, impeding or blocking another’s movement or otherwise physically interfering with normal work, pictures, drawings, or cartoons.
Sexual harassment in particular may include all of the above mentioned prohibited actions, as well as other unwelcome conduct, such as requests for sexual favors, conversations containing sexual comments, and unwelcome sexual advances, when:
1) submission to the conduct is made either an explicit or implicit condition of employment or business;
2) submission or rejection of the conduct is used as the basis for an employment or business decision; or
3) the harassment has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an employee’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
Harassment based on gender, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions may also constitute sexual harassment. Sexually harassing conduct can be by a person of either the same or opposite sex, and need not be motivated by sexual desire.
REPORTING
To report an issue or concern, contact any Foundation Capital General Partner; or Dave Armstrong, Administrative Partner ([email protected]) or Meg Sloan, Operations Partner ([email protected]).
Reports will be reviewed promptly and handled in confidence, as well as investigated and/or otherwise escalated and acted upon as appropriate.
REMEDY
If Foundation Capital determines that harassment has occurred, effective remedial action will be taken in accordance with the circumstances involved. Any employee determined by Foundation Capital to be responsible for discrimination or harassment in violation of this policy will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Because a hostility-free work environment is so important, Foundation Capital may take disciplinary action against an employee who exhibits poor judgment or engages in inappropriate behavior, even if it falls short of being severe or pervasive.