Your career, our journey

Equal employment opportunity policy

01. Objective

Horizons is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, it is the purpose of this policy to effectuate these principles and mandates.

Horizons prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without

regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Horizons conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.

02. Scope

The policy of equal employment opportunity (EEO) and anti-discrimination applies to all aspects of the relationship between Horizons and its employees, including:

Recruitment

Employment

Promotion

Transfer

Training

Working conditions

Wages & salary administration

Employee benefits & application of policies

The policies and principles of EEO also apply to the selection and treatment of independent contractors, personnel working on our premises who are employed by temporary agencies, and any other persons or firms doing business for or with Horizons.

03. Dissemination and implementation of policy

The officers of Horizons will be responsible for the dissemination of this policy. Directors, managers, and supervisors are responsible for implementing equal employment practices within each department. The HR department is responsible for overall compliance and will maintain personnel records in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Procedures

Horizons administers our EEO policy fairly and consistently with the following methods:

EEO statement on job postings

We advertise job openings with the statement "We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation , gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law”.

Report discrimination or harassment

Requires employees to report to a member of management, an HR representative or the general counsel any apparent discrimination or harassment. The report should be made within 48 hours of the incident.

No retaliation policy

Forbidding retaliation against any individual who files a charge of discrimination, opposes a practice believed to be unlawful discrimination, reports harassment, or assists, testifies, or participates in an EEO agency proceeding.

General counsel involvement

Promptly notifies the general counsel of all incidents or reports of discrimination or harassment and takes other appropriate measures to resolve the situation.

Post all required notices

Post all required notices regarding employee rights under EEO laws in areas highly visible to employees.

Fair recruitment practices

Posting all required job openings with the appropriate state agencies.

04. Harassment

Harassment is a form of unlawful discrimination and violates Horizons policy. Prohibited sexual harassment, for example, is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when it:

Affects individuals

Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individuals.

Involves abuse of power

Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment.

Interferes with work

Such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

Harassment also includes unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Harassment becomes unlawful where:

A negative environment is produced

The conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive.

Bearing the offenses is a condition of employment

Enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment.

Horizons encourages employees to report all incidents of harassment to a member of management or the HR department. Horizons conducts harassment prevention training for all employees, and maintains and enforces a separate policy on harassment prevention, complaint procedures, and penalties for violations. Horizons investigates all complaints of harassment promptly and fairly, and, when appropriate, takes immediate corrective action to stop the harassment and prevent it from recurring.

05. Remedies

Violations of this policy, regardless of whether an actual law has been violated, will not be tolerated. Horizons will promptly, thoroughly, and fairly investigate every issue that is brought to its attention in this area and will take disciplinary action, when appropriate, up to and including termination of employment.