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Respectful Workplace Policy

Respectful Workplace Policy

Why It Matters

We share responsibility for fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace that develops our people and helps us achieve our potential as individuals and as a company. By respecting and caring for each other, we continue Kimberly-Clark’s legacy and sustain the kind of company where we are proud to work.

The Kimberly-Clark Way

Kimberly-Clark is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and an environment free of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

What’s Expected

This policy applies to all applicants and employees, and prohibits any and all forms of conduct that constitute unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, whether engaged in by supervisors, coworkers, or by third parties such as clients, customers, vendors, or other individuals doing business with Kimberly-Clark. This policy applies whenever and wherever an employee is performing a function of their job, including all Kimberly-Clark locations, client worksites, and company- or client- sponsored business and social functions.

While this policy sets out our general position on equal opportunity issues, as a global business we operate in a variety of countries, many of which have their own laws addressing with these issues. Consequently, from time to time, we may need to modify the application of our general policy to comply with local legal requirements.

Prohibition of Harassment, Including Sexual Harassment

A key component of the company’s commitment to equal opportunity is zero tolerance for workplace harassment based on, or because of, an individual’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical condition), national origin, age, disability, legally protected medical conditions, military or veteran status, marital status, genetic information, citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other reason prohibited by law.

Sexual harassment is one type of harassment and means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, written, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that affects tangible job benefits, unreasonably interferes with an employee’s work performance; or creates an otherwise intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. It can include harassment of women by men, of men by women, and same-sex harassment.

Examples of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Making unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or engaging in other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
  • Offering employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors.
  • Threatening an employee, either explicitly or implicitly, who fails to respond positively to sexual advances.
  • Sexual flirtations, touching, advances or propositions.
  • Verbal abuse of a sexual nature.
  • Graphic or suggestive comments about an individual’s dress or body.
  • The display of sexually suggestive objects or pictures.
  • Jokes of an inappropriate sexual nature.

Other unlawful harassment includes, but is not limited to, unwelcome conduct—whether verbal, physical or visual—that is based on an employee’s protected characteristics, affects tangible job benefits, unreasonably interferes with an employee’s work performance, or creates an otherwise intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. Examples of conduct that may be regarded as unlawful harassment based on a hostile work environment include:

  • Epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping, disparaging remarks, or intimidating acts based on any of the protected characteristics listed above.
  • Telling or forwarding jokes directed to someone’s protected characteristic, such as racial or ethnic jokes, regardless of whether “everyone tells them”;
  • Posting, forwarding, showing, or displaying in any manner cartoons that make fun of any group, religious belief, sex, or individual because of their protected status; and
  • Forwarding, printing, or displaying offensive e-mails.

Equal Opportunities

Kimberly-Clark’s policy and practice is to provide equal employment opportunities and to assure those opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breast feeding, or related medical condition), national origin, age, disability, legally protected medical conditions, military or veteran status, marital status, genetic information, citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.

All employment decisions are based only on job qualifications, merit, and other nondiscriminatory business considerations. Decisions relating to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment are made without regard to any legally protected characteristic. This includes, but is not limited to, decisions about recruitment, selection, compensation, benefits, training, promotion, and disciplinary actions.

In addition to our commitment to treating qualified applicants and employees without regard to their protected characteristics, Kimberly-Clark also will provide reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified employee or applicant for employment, unless the accommodation would impose undue hardship on the operation of the company’s business.

Pay Transparency

Kimberly-Clark will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (1) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (2) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by Kimberly-Clark, or (3) consistent with Kimberly-Clark’s legal duty to furnish information.

Responsibility for Implementation

The CEO of Kimberly-Clark fully supports the company’s equal opportunity policy and is committed to the full implementation ofthe policy, including its anti-discrimination, anti-harassment and anti-retaliation provisions.

Employee Responsibilities

  • Understand our policy on equal opportunity, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, and anti-retaliation.
  • Do not engage in any conductthat constitutes unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation as described in this policy.
  • Understand and comply with our policy on pay transparency.
  • Complete all required training.

Team Leader Responsibilities

  • Ensure your team:
    • Has read and understands this policy.
    • Understands that any and all forms of conduct that constitute unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, whether engaged in by supervisors, coworkers, or by third parties such as clients, customers, vendors, or other individuals doing business with Kimberly-Clark, is prohibited.
    • Understands and complies with our policy on pay transparency.
    • Completes all required training.
    • Knows how to ask a question or a raise a concern regarding this policy.
  • Base all employment decisions on job qualifications, merit, and other nondiscriminatory business considerations.
  • Make decisions relating to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment without regard to any legally protected characteristic.

Leaders also have a responsibility to create an open environment where every employee feels comfortable raising questions and concerns without fear of retaliation. If someone raises a question or concern about possible misconduct, including violations of Kimberly-Clark policy or law, promptly contact the Kimberly-Clark HelpLine or your Regional Compliance Leader. In those situations, team leaders should not conduct their own review and should seek assistance.

When to Ask a Question or Raise a Concern

Each of us has an obligation to ask questions or raise concerns if we suspect that misconduct has occurred, or if a Kimberly-Clark employee or third party acting on behalf of Kimberly-Clark has violated the Kimberly-Clark Code, Kimberly-Clark policies, or laws. You do not need to be certain that a violation has occurred before speaking up.

How to Ask a Question or Raise a Concern

Generally, your team leader or another business leader will be in the best position to resolve a compliance question or concern.

If you are not able to resolve the question or concern with your team leader or another business leader, or if you do notfeel comfortable approaching these leaders, Kimberly-Clark offers several methods for raising questions and concerns. You can speak to one of your business partners in Legal, Global Ethics & Compliance, Global Security, Finance, or Human Resources.

Kimberly-Clark HelpLine

You can also ask a question or raise a concern using the Kimberly-Clark HelpLine. If you contact the Kimberly-Clark HelpLine, please specifywho was involved, who might have direct knowledge ofthe incident, what occurred, when it occurred, and why you think it happened. This type of specific information will allow us to conduct a thorough and fair evaluation. You may contact the Kimberly-Clark HelpLine anonymously (where permitted by law), but we encourage you to provide us with contact information so that we can reach you with any follow-up questions

The Kimberly-Clark HelpLine is available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, in native languages where Kimberly-Clark’s facilities are located. A professional company that is independent of Kimberly-Clark will take your information and then promptly report it to the Global Ethics & Compliance team for review. You may contact the Kimberly-Clark HelpLine directly by telephone, e-mail, or web:

We encourage you to ask your questions and raise your concerns directly to Kimberly-Clark so we can take appropriate actions. But, nothing in this policy prevents you from reporting potential violations of law to relevant government authorities.

Our Anti-Retaliation Commitment

Kimberly-Clark does not tolerate retaliation against anyone who raises a concern in good faith or who cooperates in a review. Individuals engaging in this type of retaliatory conduct will be subject to discipline action. If you believe someone has retaliated against you or against someone else, raise a concern immediately. Our anti-retaliation commitment is further described in our Compliance HelpLine Reporting Policy.