Jenny A. Durkan
Mayor of Seattle
Clarification on Current Reporting Process
If you have experienced directly, or have observed a situation where you believed harassment may have
occurred, the process for reporting is outlined below:
•     If you feel comfortable, notify your supervisor, senior management, or your department Human
Resources personnel.
• If you feel that you are not able to report this to your department, please reach out to Seattle
Department of Human Resources City Investigator Travis Taylor at travis.taylor@seattle.gov or
206-733-7058.
• We will consider the allegations promptly, ensuring that our review is fair, thorough, and
impartial. We will regularly update you on the status of the investigation. We will work to
protect all complainants from retaliation.
•     Depending on the outcome of our review, your department and/or SDHR will determine the
appropriate resolution, including possible disciplinary action when appropriate.
•     After the investigation concludes, a representative from your department or SDHR will check in
with you to confirm that harassment has not resumed and that you have not been retaliated
against for making a report.
More information about the City’s harassment complaint process can be found under Personnel Rule
1.1.
 
Immediate Next Steps
To conduct a broad review of all harassment policies, Mayor Durkan is forming an Inter-Departmental
Team, which will include Mayor’s Office staff, Councilmember Mosqueda or her representative, and
labor representatives. This IDT will make recommendations by the end of May using the employee
feedback from the upcoming RSJI survey.
The Seattle Department of Human Resources and Office for Civil Rights will work together to reinforce
these measures. Specifically:
 
•     New Procedures for Settlements Within Departments. Mayor Durkan announced to her cabinet
in December that she expects City Departments and SDHR to partner closely to ensure
transparency and accountability in our anti-harassment work. Mayor Durkan believes that the
City needs to take a strong stand on tightening our complaint reporting requirements. The City
has established new procedures for involving Human Resources a full 30 days before
commencing any settlement agreements, Step 3 or 4 grievances, lawsuits, or formal
investigations. Human Resources has been charged with tracking these incidents and providing
recommendations for intervention as appropriate.
•     Mandatory Annual Training on Anti-Harassment. The anti-harassment awareness training that
is currently required for new employees will be mandated on an annual basis for all City
employees. The training will be expanded and regularly updated.
  

 Jenny A. Durkan
Mayor of Seattle
•     Anti-harassment Questions in the RSJI Engagement Survey. Mayor Durkan’s office, SDHR, and
SOCR will collaborate on anti-harassment questions which will be included in the citywide RSJI
employee survey, published in the first quarter of 2018. Our goal is to gather information from
City employees that will provide a benchmark on staff attitudes and concerns regarding
harassment, as well as inform the work of the Anti-Harassment Inter-Departmental Team (IDT)
described below. We will actively and appropriately involve our labor partners throughout this
survey process.
 
•     Formation of a City-wide Anti-Harassment Inter-Departmental Team (IDT). Mayor Durkan will
convene a team to identify and make specific recommendations on other short- and long-term
policy changes to achieve strong anti-harassment outcomes. This team will include Mayor’s
Office staff, Councilmember Mosqueda or her representative, and labor representatives. This
IDT will make recommendations by the end of May using the employee feedback from the
upcoming RSJI survey. With the engagement of City employees and our labor partners, the IDT
will provide recommendations on the following three areas:
•     Training: updates to current trainings and creating new trainings, such as bystander
and witness trainings, for employees including middle management and front-line
supervisors
•     Reporting Mechanisms: improvements to current reporting or the creation of new
or additional reporting structures
•     Personnel Rules - Discrimination and Workplace Harassment: review of potential
updates or revisions to the personnel rules