D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released a new sexual harassment policy for city employees Tuesday in the wake of the investigation into John Falcicchio, a longtime top aide to Bowser.
Romantic relationships among government employees who work in the same chain of command are now prohibited as part of the new policy.
Falcicchio, the former deputy mayor of planning and economic development for the city, sexually harassed two women who were also D.C. government employees, an internal investigation found.
Bowser signed a mayoral order Tuesday expanding the definition of sexual harassment. It includes a detailed list of actions that can be considered sexual harassment, including showing sexual body parts, sending another employee sexually explicit messages, inappropriately touching someone and making suggestive sounds like whistling toward another employee.
The previous mayor’s order on sexual harassment was written six years ago, and drew scrutiny after the Falcicchio investigation this year.
“We had employees that came forward, made complaints. They were credible. They were investigated,” Bowser said. “There have been actions on the government’s part, and the policy worked. What we’ve also learned in these intervening months is that it could be strengthened and made clearer, and that’s what you will see in the updated mayor’s order.”
Among the provisions in the new order:
- Dating, romantic and sexual relationships between employees who work in the same chain of command are prohibited.
- Employees are required to disclose any relationships with other employees working in the same chain of command.
- Specific actions deemed as sexual harassment are defined.
- Hugging fellow employees is restricted if there’s a complaint filed.
- All D.C. government employees must take annual sexual harassment training.
“We have to make clear the values of the District, that we’re going to do everything possible to have a sexual harassment-free workforce,” Bowser said. “And we’re going to make the policies as clear as possible so that people can be compliant, and at the end of the day, people have to do the right thing. And if they don’t, there will be consequences.”
Falcicchio made multiple unwanted physical sexual advances toward a woman who worked for him in the deputy mayor’s office, the internal report said. He also was found to have sent unwanted flirtatious messages.
According to the mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel, Falcicchio engaged in unwanted physical sexual advances and sent inappropriate messages, including sexually explicit messages and graphic videos, to another female staffer.
Falcicchio abruptly resigned in March one week after the investigation into the allegations began.
“We applaud the District of Columbia’s revisions to its sexual harassment policy, which now aligns with the District’s Human Rights Act’s broad prohibitions on sexual harassment, provides for the possibility of an independent investigation for any official who directly reports to the Mayor, and clarifies reporting and investigatory procedures,” the attorneys for the two women who made allegations against Falcicchio said in a statement.
“While work remains to be done to build a workplace free from sexual harassment in the D.C. government, the new policy is a significant step forward in achieving that goal. It is also the direct result of the tremendous bravery and persistence of our clients, who came forward to report sexual harassment by former Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio.”
The new order states that employees who are in existing romantic relationships that were allowed under the previous policy can request a waiver from the mayor.
The updated policy takes effect Nov. 10.
