Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment

All employees, both male and female, are strictly prohibited from harassing or making improper advances toward other employees. Sexual harassment as well as gender based discrimination is illegal and contrary to the GST policy.  The Company strives to foster a work environment free of sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, intimidation and insult. GST prohibits any employee from making unwelcome or unsolicited sexual advances; unwelcome, offensive or inappropriate comments regarding an employee’s gender; or engaging in other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual or gender-offensive nature, when an individual’s submission to that conduct is made explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of that individual’s employment, or when that conduct creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.  Harassment based on gender is a form of misconduct that undermines both personal and professional relationships in the workplace. Every staff member must be assured that he or she can work in an environment that is free from unwanted and unwelcome harassment and discrimination.
Sexual harassment creates unacceptable stress for the entire organization, adversely affects morale, demeans the individual so treated, and could cause potentially devastating costs to the Company. GST believes that courteous, mutually respectful, pleasant, non-coercive interactions between employees will best serve the well-being of each individual and GST.
Sexual harassment includes but is not necessarily limited to:

• Unwelcome or unwanted sexual advances.
• Requests or demands for sexual favors.
• Verbal abuse, kidding, or physical contact that is sexually oriented and considered unacceptable by the target of the abuse.
• Any type of sexually oriented conduct that interferes with another's work performance.
• Sexually oriented conversations or activities that create a work environment that is intimidating, hostile or offensive to any staff member.
• Verbal abuse, kidding, remarks or comments that intimidate, ridicule, and maliciously demean the status of an individual’s gender.
  
  

Any person who believes that he/she is the victim of any type of discriminatory conduct, including sexual harassment, should bring that conduct to the immediate attention of his/her supervisor, the Human Resources Director or any member of management.  The Company will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of all the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident in a confidential manner.  If the investigation discloses that an individual has committed an act of harassment, that individual will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Retaliation in any form against an employee who complains of discrimination or harassment is strictly prohibited and will result in appropriate disciplinary action.  Any supervisory employee to whom an employee brings a complaint of sexual harassment but who fails to take appropriate action to resolve it will also be disciplined.