The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is committed to building a safe, welcoming, harassment-free culture for everyone. We do not merely want an environment that is free from hostility, we want one that is actively welcoming and inclusive. We want our team, our workplace culture, and our open source community to reflect and celebrate the diversity of the people we serve.
This Code of Conduct summarizes federal anti-harassment law and CFPB policy.
We expect everyone on the CFPB team, and those contributing to our open source community, to exhibit these behaviors and abide by applicable federal laws and CFPB policies. In addition, we expect everyone within CFPB spaces to exhibit these behaviors and refrain from behavior prohibited by anti-harassment laws and federal policies on harassment. These spaces include:
- CFPB’s physical offices
- CFPB events and meetings
- All of CFPB’s online forums and virtual collaboration tools, including code repositories
At the CFPB, we strive to create a welcoming and inclusive culture that empowers people to best protect the financial interests of all consumers. That kind of atmosphere requires an open exchange of ideas balanced by thoughtful guidelines. Examples of behavior that contributes to a positive environment for our open source community include:
- Demonstrating empathy and kindness toward other people
- Being respectful of differing opinions, viewpoints, and experiences
- Giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback
- Accepting responsibility and apologizing to those affected by our mistakes, and learning from the experience
- Focusing on what is best not just for us as individuals, but for the overall community and public
To help understand the kinds of behaviors that are illegal or run counter to the culture we seek to foster, we've listed some actions below that violate federal law and CFPB policy. We've also included steps to take if you encounter behavior that runs contrary to this policy.
The CFPB Policy Statement on Equal Employment Opportunity and Workplace Harassment forbids discrimination or harassment based on:
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- Sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity or expression, gender non-conformity, or sex stereotyping of any kind)
- National origin
- Disability
- Age (40 years or older)
- Genetic information
- Parental status
- Political affiliation
- Marital status
- Uniformed status
- Membership in a labor organization or union activities
- Prior equal employment opportunity (EEO) or whistleblower activity
- Any other factor unrelated to your merit
The policy also forbids harassing conduct, which includes unwelcome conduct based on any (or a combination of) protected traits or characteristics. Such conduct may take the form of any of the following:
- Offensive jokes, comments, objects, or pictures
- Questions about a person’s identity (e.g., disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, etc.)
- Undue attention
- Ridicule or mockery
- Insults or put-downs
- Touching/physical contact
- Slurs or epithets
- Threats or other forms of intimidation
- Physical or sexual assault
If you are a CFPB employee, former CFPB employee, or job applicant to CFPB and believe you have been discriminated against or harassed on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity or expression, gender non-conformity, or sex stereotyping of any kind), national origin, disability, age (40 years or older), genetic information, parental status, or retaliated against for prior Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) activity, contact the CFPB’s Office of Civil Rights.
(202) 435-9EEO (855) 233-0362 TTY: (202) 435-9742
Office of Civil Rights Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 1700 G Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20552
For help filing a complaint about discrimination on the basis of marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor, or for claims of retaliation for whistleblower activity, contact the Office of Special Counsel or the Merit Systems Protection Board.
For help filing a complaint about discrimination on the basis of uniformed status, you may contact the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) at the Department of Labor, the Merit Systems Protection Board, or the Office of Special Counsel, depending on the circumstances.
For help filing a complaint about discrimination on the basis of membership in a labor organization, you may contact the Federal Labor Relations Authority or your union (if applicable).
For more information about the CFPB’s equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies and procedures visit https://www.consumerfinance.gov/office-civil-rights/eeo-policy-and-reports/
The CFPB is greatly appreciative of the multiple sources that we drew from to build this Code of Conduct, including: