Recently, we discussed generally the NVCA’s updated model legal documents on this blog. Of particular interest in the new forms is the NVCA’s attention to anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies for emerging companies. Discrimination and harassment issues have impacted many industry-leading companies in the last year – and investors, board members and company executives all have aligned interests to ensure that the companies they are building are actively working to prevent discrimination and harassment.
Two of the documents published by the NVCA are the “Sample H.R. Policies for Addressing Harassment and Discrimination” and the “Sample H.R. Best Practices for Addressing Harassment and Discrimination”. Although the sample documents state that they were developed for use by venture capital firms and are not designed to be used as models for other companies without legal guidance, the documents provide a general framework that may be useful to many growing companies when considering how to implement such policies.
Key provisions covered by the documents include: the company’s mission statement, provisions explaining the company’s policies relating to harassment and discrimination, definitions of prohibited conduct, and examples of prohibited conduct. The documents include bracketed optional provisions that apply in certain states and localities, as well as a link to California’s anti-harassment pamphlet that must be given to all new hires.
In addition to these general documents, the NVCA has published documents that apply in several key jurisdictions where startups are frequently located. Examples include the sample Diversity and Inclusion Policies for San Francisco businesses and a Diversity Policy designed for use by businesses located in New York.
These documents provide a useful starting point for emerging companies as they develop policies relating to anti-discrimination and harassment, even if the documents are not designed to be used in the same off-the-shelf manner as the NVCA’s model legal documents.
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