Our Company is committed to the principles of equal employment. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities, and all other employment laws and regulations. It is our intent to maintain a work environment which is free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation because of age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), veteran status, uniformed service member status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws. The Company is dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy in regard to all aspects of employment, including but not limited to recruiting, hiring, placement, transfer, training, promotion, rates of pay, and other compensation, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.
The Company will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of all allegations of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, or any violation of the Company’s Equal Employment Opportunity Policy in a confidential manner. The Company will take appropriate corrective action, if and where warranted. The Company prohibits retaliation against any employee who provides information about, complains, or assists in the investigation of any complaint of discrimination or violation of the Company’s Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.
We are all responsible for upholding the Company’s Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and any claimed violations of that policy should be brought to the attention of the Board of Directors at bod@bmsis.org.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects individuals from discrimination based on sex in any educational program or activity operated by recipients of federal financial assistance. Sexual harassment, which includes acts of sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX. BMS does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the employment, education programs or activities it operates. The Title IX coordinator is the President & Chief Executive Officer of BMS.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits the Company from discriminating on the basis of disability (29 U.S.C. 794). The Company will provide reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities, program accessibility, and effective communication for individuals who have hearing or vision disabilities. The Section 504 coordinator is the Chief Operating Officer of BMS.
Blue Marble Space has a strict policy against all types of workplace harassment, including sexual harassment and other forms of workplace harassment based upon an individual’s age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), veteran status, uniformed service member status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws. All forms of harassment of, or by, employees, vendors, visitors, customers, and clients are strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated.
Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly as a term or condition of an individual’s employment (2) submission to, or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
While it is not possible to identify each and every act that constitutes or may constitute sexual harassment, the following are some examples of sexual harassment are provided below: (a) unwelcome requests for sexual favors; (b) lewd or derogatory comments or jokes; (c) comments regarding sexual behavior or the body of another employee; (d) sexual innuendo and other vocal activity such as catcalls or whistles; (e) obscene letters, notes, emails, invitations, photographs, cartoons, articles, or other written or pictorial materials of a sexual natures; (f) repeated requests for dates after being informed that interest is unwelcome; (g) retaliating against an employee for refusing a sexual advance or reporting an incident of possible sexual harassment to Blue Marble Space or any government agency; (h) offering or providing favors or employment benefits such as promotions, favorable evaluations, favorable assigned duties or shifts, etc., in exchange for sexual favors; and (i) any unwanted physical touching or assaults, or blocking or impeding movements.
Other workplace harassment is often verbal or physical conduct that insults or shows hostility or aversion towards an individual because of the individual’s age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), veteran status, uniformed service member status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws.
Again, while it is not possible to list all the circumstances that may constitute other forms of workplace harassment, the following are some examples of conduct that may constitute workplace harassment: (a) the use of disparaging or abusive words or phrases, slurs, negative stereotyping, or threatening, intimidating or hostile acts that relate to the above protected categories; (b) written or graphic material that insults, stereotypes or shows aversion or hostility towards an individual or group because of one of the above protected categories and that is placed on walls, bulletin boards, email, voicemail, or elsewhere on the Company’s premises, or circulated in the workplace; and (c) a display of symbols, slogans, or items that are associated with hate or intolerance towards any select group.
It is the policy of Blue Marble Space that any of our employees, faculty, staff, agents, representatives, vendors and other third parties (including subsidiaries) comply with the anti-bribery laws of the United States and of the foreign countries where BMS does business. Bribery of any kind in the United States and abroad, regardless of foreign custom or practice, is strictly prohibited. No BMS employee, faculty, staff, agent, representative, vendor or any other third party with which BMS works shall make any payment or provide anything of value, to any person, in order to improperly influence that person to secure any advantage for BMS, including obtaining or retaining business, or directing business to any person or entity.
It is also the policy of BMS that each of its employees, faculty, staff, agents, representatives, vendors and all third parties that work with BMS make and keep books, records, and accounts, which, in reasonable detail, accurately reflect any transactions and dispositions of the university and any of its subsidiaries or partners. Any contracts involving, directly or indirectly, foreign officials must be in writing and reviewed by the BMS board of directors prior to execution.
Any employee intellectual property or invention created, in whole or in part, during an employee’s work hours, or from the use of the Company’s equipment or facilities, remain the property of the employee. Any employee who intends to develop and maintain property rights in any invention, which relates in any way to the Company’s products or services, is required to notify the Company of their intent.
The company shall lay no claim to any copyrights, patents, or other pieces of intellectual property that are developed by an employee or researcher. Intellectual property and patents generated from the Company remain solely with the inventor.
If profits are generated from intellectual property created during a Company project, then donations of a portion of the proceeds to the Company or Company-led initiatives are strongly encouraged, though not required.