Preventing Harassment, Intimidation, Retaliation, and Discrimination (HIRD) One of the most important elements of a work environment where employees can freely express views and opinions, is the ability to speak up without fear of HIRD. TVA takes HIRD very seriously. Any person found guilty of acts of HIRD against an employee because the employee expressed a differing view is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Key Definitions Protected Activity: An employee or contractor identifies an issue that he or she believes impacts any aspect of site activities and communicates that concern to co-workers, supervisors, senior managers, the ECP or any responsible regulatory authority. Adverse Action: The individual involuntarily undergoes an adverse change in employment conditions, however slight, that may “chill” his or her willingness to raise an issue or concern, i.e., subject to a negative environment. Identification and reporting the following activities are protected • Violation of state or federal law or regulation • Economic waste • Gross misconduct, mismanagement, incompetence or inefficiency • Abuse of authority • Danger to the health or safety of workers or the public, environment or security
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• Willful omission • A violation of policy, procedure or work practice
A refusal to obey an illegal order is also a form of protected activity. • An “illegal order” is a directive to violate a federal or state law, rule, or regulation. • Any order to work in conditions that would unreasonably threaten the health or safety of employees or the public. Protected Activity is not Affected by the Validity of the Concern • The substantive validity of the concern is irrelevant. • An erroneous concern about safety, discrimination, security, mismanagement, fraud, etc, is still protected. • The employee does not have to be right in order to be protected. Examples of Adverse Actions as the Result of Protected Activity • Discipline (any form) • Negative performance evaluation • Demotion • Shift change • Decrease in responsibilities • Transfer • Hostile work environment
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