Misconduct

Violates Policy

Violates the law

Hostile Work Environment:

Policies and Law

But of course, long before behavior rises to the level of harassment, it can violate policy, since policies often go much farther than the law in terms of limiting inappropriate conduct and creating a respectful workplace.

So as a guiding principle, employees should always avoid any and all harassing or inappropriate conduct, because even a single incident could violate policy and lead to disciplinary action.