1. References.
See references enclosed.
2. Purpose.
This directive rescinds Army Directive 2024-11 (Army Civilian Harassment Prevention and Response Program), reissues and prescribes policy, establishes procedures, and assigns responsibilities for the Army’s Civilian Harassment Prevention and Response Program (CHPRP).
The program provides an alternate means of reporting and responding to allegations of harassing behavior that detracts from an efficient workplace but does not necessarily involve an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint or criminal allegation.
This directive supersedes Appendix D of Army Regulation 690–12 (Equal Employment Opportunity Programs).
3. Applicability.
The provisions of this directive apply to the Regular Army, Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and U.S. Army Reserve.
4. Policy.
The United States Army Civilian Harassment Prevention and Response Program (CHPRP) is a commander’s program.
The Army does not tolerate or condone harassment, including behavior that is not unlawful but is unwelcome or offensive to a reasonable person and detracts from an efficient workplace.
a. Definitions.
(1) Harassment
Harassment is behavior that is unwelcome or offensive to a reasonable person and that interferes with work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
Harassment behavior does not include activities or actions undertaken for a proper governmental purpose, such as training, assignment of work related to the duties and responsibilities of the employee, or performance- or conduct-based counseling or actions.
Additionally, behavior that is rude, ignorant, abrasive, or unkind but does not affect the work environment is not harassment under this policy.
(2) Forms of Harassment
Harassment can be oral, visual, written, physical, or electronic.
Harassment can occur through electronic communications, including social media, other forms of communication, and in person.
b.
All allegations of harassment (including anonymous allegations) must be evaluated under the totality of the circumstances, including an assessment of the nature of the conduct and the context in which the conduct occurred.
In some circumstances, a single incident of conduct may constitute harassment.
In other circumstances, repeated or recurring unwelcome behavior may be required to constitute harassment.
In all cases, the intent is to immediately and appropriately address harassing conduct before it escalates or reoccurs.
c.
Employees who believe another person has subjected them to unwelcome harassing conduct are encouraged to inform the person(s) responsible for the conduct that it is unwelcome and offensive and request that it cease.
If the conduct continues, or if they are uncomfortable confronting the responsible person(s) about the conduct, they should immediately report the matter to:
- Their supervisor
- The supervisor of the harasser
- Any other management official in the chain of command
They may also report the matter to:
- The Inspector General (IG)
- The servicing EEO office
- The servicing Civilian Human Resources Service Center Labor and Management-Employee Relations (CHRSC L/MER) office
- Union officials (if they are a bargaining unit employee)
d.
Individual harassment allegations may be made orally or in writing and do not need to conform to a particular format.
e.
Witnesses to harassing conduct directed at other employees may report the matter to:
- Their supervisor
- The commander or supervisor of the offending employee(s)
- Other management officials in their chain of command
- One of the officials listed in paragraph 4c of this directive
f.
Commanders, supervisors, and managers who witness harassing conduct directed at others have a duty to act and will report the matter to the appropriate authorities.
Appropriate corrective action will be taken against any commander, supervisor, or management official that fails to fulfill their obligations as prescribed in this directive.
g.
Anonymous allegations of harassment, in which the identity of the reporter is unknown but there is sufficient information to warrant further inquiry, will be processed in accordance with this directive.
h.
Commanders, supervisors, or management officials will take, at a minimum, the following immediate and appropriate corrective action:
(1)
Contact the servicing CHRSC L/MER office and/or legal office as soon as practicable.
Typically, this should occur within 1 business day.
(2)
Ensure the employee is safe and protected from further harassment.
(3)
Ensure that investigations of harassment allegations begin within 10 calendar days of receipt of harassment allegations.
(4)
Ensure investigations are prompt, thorough, impartial, and completed in a reasonable amount of time.
i. Retaliation.
Retaliation will not be tolerated against any applicant, employee, or former employee for reporting harassing conduct or assisting in any inquiry, investigation, or other proceeding about a report of harassing behavior.
Complainants who believe they have been subjected to retaliation during the reporting process should immediately report the incident to one of the officials listed in paragraph 4c of this directive.
j. Confidentiality.
All information regarding complaints of alleged harassment and inquiries will be maintained on a confidential basis to the greatest extent possible.
The maintenance of records and any disclosure of information from these records will comply with:
- Army Regulation (AR) 25–22
- AR 25–55
Commanders, supervisors, and management officials will coordinate with their legal advisors regarding the disclosure of information.
k.
This policy does not supersede other established processes that permit employees to pursue complaints of alleged harassment.
As such, the procedures in this directive are separate from the EEO complaint process and any other statutory complaint process.
Reporting harassment under this directive does not satisfy or delay the applicable time limits for initiating other statutory complaint processes.
For example, in the case of an EEO complaint, an employee who has made a report of harassment pursuant to this directive, and who wishes to also pursue a claim of discriminatory harassment through the EEO process, must initiate contact with the servicing EEO office within 45 calendar days of the most recent incident of alleged harassment or personnel action, if applicable.
l.
Commanders and management officials, with support from their servicing CHRSC L/MER and in coordination with their servicing legal advisor, will review claims of harassment and will determine:
- Scope of investigation
- Planning
- Recommendations
- Corrective action to be taken
m. Tracking and Reporting.
(1)
Commanders may designate a Harassment Prevention and Response Coordinator to perform responsibilities under this directive.
(2)
Commanders and management officials, in collaboration with their servicing CHRSC L/MER office, will ensure required data is collected and entered into applicable systems regardless of whether:
- The allegation is substantiated
- Corrective action is taken pursuant to this directive
This requirement applies to all allegations processed under the Civilian Harassment Prevention and Response Program (CHPRP).
(3)
Data elements will be reported and retained in a tool developed or modified by the U.S. Army Civilian Human Resources Agency (CHRA).
Data will be used to identify trends and assess program compliance and effectiveness.
The reporting tool should minimize manual data input by individuals not directly involved in the investigation or action.
Harassment allegation data will be provided in annual reports required by Department of Defense (DoD) and Federal regulations, as well as in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Management Directive 715.
n. Training.
Harassment prevention and response training may be combined with other training (such as EEO, sexual harassment, and Public Law 107-174 (Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002)) if all elements required by DoD Instruction 1020.04 are addressed.
5. Responsibilities.
a.
The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) (ASA (M&RA)) has oversight responsibility for this policy.
b.
The Deputy Chief of Staff (DCS), G-1 will develop subsequent implementing guidance for the CHPRP.
c.
The Director, CHRA, through the DCS, G-1, will develop a reporting tool for the CHPRP.
d.
The Commanding General, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command will develop CHPRP training required for Army Civilian supervisors and new employees.
e.
Principal officials of the Headquarters, Department of the Army and commanders of Army commands, Army service component commands, and direct reporting units will—
(1)
Ensure all commanders and management officials take action under this policy, regardless of whether the alleged conduct constitutes a violation of law and/or the employee has filed a complaint through a separate statutory complaint process.
(2)
Ensure all commanders and management officials responsible for conducting inquiries, determining outcomes, and initiating corrective action collect required data for reporting in accordance with this directive and associated implementing guidance.
(3)
Ensure all commanders and management officials inform, without divulging protected information, the individual or individuals who reported the harassment allegation of measures taken to resolve the matter.
(4)
Ensure all commanders and management officials conduct organizational climate assessments in accordance with DoD requirements that include prompts to gauge the prevalence and scope of any harassing behaviors and corrective actions or other related trends.
Dan Driscoll
6. Labor Relations Obligations.
Commanders, management officials, and supervisors will adhere to the provisions of applicable collective bargaining agreements and fulfill all statutory and contractual labor relations obligations identified in Title 5, United States Code, Chapter 71, in advance of implementation and administration of this policy for bargaining unit employees.
Questions about labor relations obligations may be addressed with the servicing CHRA office.
7. Proponent.
The ASA (M&RA) is the proponent for this policy and will incorporate applicable provisions into AR 690–12 and AR 690–600 within 2 years of the date of this directive.
The DCS, G-1 will incorporate applicable provisions into AR 600–20 within 2 years of the date of this directive.
8. Duration.
This directive is rescinded on publication of the revised regulations.
DISTRIBUTION:
- Principal Officials of Headquarters, Department of the Army
- Commander
- U.S. Army Forces Command
- U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
- U.S. Army Materiel Command
- U.S. Army Futures Command
- U.S. Army Pacific
- U.S. Army Europe and Africa
- U.S. Army Central
- U.S. Army North
- U.S. Army South
- U.S. Army Special Operations Command
- U.S. Army Medical Command
- U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
- U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command
- U.S. Army Cyber Command
- Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command
DISTRIBUTION: (CONT)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Army Military District of Washington
- U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command
- U.S. Army Human Resources Command
- U.S. Army Corrections Command
- U.S. Army Recruiting Command
- Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy
- Commandant, U.S. Army War College
- Director, U.S. Army Civilian Human Resources Agency
- Executive Director, Military Postal Service Agency
- Director, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division
- Director, U.S. Army Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office
- Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery
- Director, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center
CF:
- Principal Cyber Advisor
- Commander, Eighth Army
REFERENCES
a.
Public Law 107-174 (Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002)
b.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Commission, EEO Management Directive 715, 1 October 2003
c.
Department of Defense Instruction 1020.04 (Harassment Prevention and Responses for DoD Civilian Employees), 30 June 2020, incorporating Change 1, effective 17 January 2025
d.
Army Directive 2024-11 (Army Civilian Harassment Prevention and Response Program), 12 December 2024 (hereby rescinded)
e.
Army Regulation (AR) 25–22 (The Army Privacy and Civil Liberties Program), 30 September 2022
f.
AR 25–55 (The Department of the Army Freedom of Information Act Program), 19 October 2020
g.
AR 600–20 (Army Command Policy), 6 February 2025
h.
AR 690–12 (Equal Employment Opportunity Programs), 6 February 2025 (Appendix D hereby rescinded)
i.
AR 690–600 (Equal Employment Opportunity Discrimination Complaints), 6 February 2025
j.
AR 690–752 (Disciplinary and Adverse Actions), 10 February 2022