Positive Employee Relations

We strive to ensure a positive work environment for all employees. Our Positive Employee Relations program provides a platform for employees to develop and foster ongoing/long-term successful professional relationships with co-workers. Please contact the Office of Human Resources at 607.274.8000 to learn more.
The College seeks to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment of mutual respect for students, faculty, staff and community, internally and externally, of all backgrounds and identities.

The College is committed to maintaining a working environment that encourages mutual respect, promotes civil and collaborative relationships among faculty and staff, and is free from all forms of harassment and violence.

A fair, inclusive and respectful community is vital to all individuals and is essential to our academic mission and institutional excellence at Ithaca College.Therefore, the College embraces the concept of a Respectful Workplace as a guiding principle and is committed to promoting an environment where employees respect each other regardless of their roles or levels of responsibilities, or the nature of their contributions.

Ithaca College recognizes its responsibility to be a model of fairness and equal opportunity, providing intellectual and institutional leadership regarding issues of civility and respectful behavior.

The College is committed to maintaining a working environment that encourages mutual respect, promotes civil and collaborative relationships among faculty, staff, and students, and is free from all forms of harassment and violence.

Respectful & Disrespectful Behavior

Every employee of the Ithaca College has the right to work in a respectful workplace. In order to promote and sustain a workplace where all employees are treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their status or position, each employee is expected to abide by these values and standards of interpersonal behavior, communication and professionalism:

  • We respect and value the contributions of all members of our community, regardless of status or role in the organization;
  • We treat employees with respect, civility, and courtesy;
  • We work honestly, effectively and collegially with employees and others;
  • We respect and value the views and opinions of others, even though they may differ from our own;
  • We resolve to work together with respectful and courteous verbal communication, to listen openly and effectively manage disagreements among employees;
  • We respect the needs, views and expectations of our students, members of the general public and others who study, work, or visit our community;
  • We recognize that differing social and cultural standards may mean that behavior that is acceptable to some may be perceived as unacceptable or unreasonable to others;
  • We abide by applicable rules, regulations, policies and bylaws and address any dissatisfaction with, or violation of, policies and procedures through appropriate channels;
  • We demonstrate commitment to continuous personal and professional learning and development;
  • We are responsible stewards of material and human assets to achieve excellence and innovation in the education of our students and the creation and sharing of knowledge across all disciplines;
  • We respect the property and personal interests of those around us, including those of the College itself;
  • If we are in leadership positions, we model civility for others and clearly define expectations for how employees treat each other, hold individuals accountable for their behaviors, and are responsive to complaints when they are brought forward.

Consistent with this and other relevant college policies, all employees at Ithaca College are expected to refrain from disrespectful behavior. Examples of disrespectful behavior can include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Use of threatening or abusive language, profanity or language that is intended to be, or is perceived by others to be, demeaning, berating, rude, threatening, intimidating, hostile or offensive;
  • Engage in bullying, collusion or hazing;
  • Microaggressions;
  • Making threats of violence, retribution, litigation, or financial harm; shouting or engaging in other speech, conduct or mannerisms that are reasonably perceived by others to represent intimidation or harassment;
  • Using racial or ethnic slurs; demonstrating racial, gender, sexual orientation, or cultural bias;
  • Making or telling denigrating jokes that are intended to be, or that are perceived by others to be, crude or offensive; teasing, name calling, ridicule or making someone the brunt of pranks or practical jokes;
  • Using of epithets, slurs or negative stereotyping;
  • Distributing or displaying electronic or written materials or messages that are abusive, profane, threatening, defamatory or offensive material that is placed on walls or elsewhere on University premises, or is circulated in the workplace;
  • Using sarcasm or cynicism directed as a personal attack on others;
  • Making unwanted or threatened inappropriate physical contact;
  • Throwing tools, office equipment, or objects as an expression of anger, criticism, or threat, or in an otherwise disrespectful or abusive manner;
  • Making comments or engaging in behavior that is untruthful or directed as a personal attack on the professional conduct of others;
  • Retaliation;
  • Engaging in any pattern of disruptive behavior or interaction that could interfere with the workplace or adversely impact the quality of services, education or patient care;
  • Conditioning employment terms on submission to harassing conduct, sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, etc;
  • Harassment in any form is unacceptable. Any employee who harasses another may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. The College has a separate policy and procedure governing sexual harassment. Any employee who has a concern or complaint related specifically to sexual harassment should refer to the Sexual Harassment Policy.