KINGSTON – Ulster County Executive Michael Hein Monday said he wanted to make it “perfectly clear” that his administration has a zero tolerance for workplace harassment.

“You can be assured that I am committed to providing a safe and secure environment to all county employees,” Hein wrote in a letter to all county workers dated June 26 and released Monday.

“It’s very important to me that everyone understands that I have no tolerance for this type of behavior, that there is also a very clear policy and everyone is aware of that and that there is a clear reporting structure as well,” he said.  The county has had a workplace harassment policy in place for years and Hein said he has increased workplace harassment training from once every three years to annually.

That policy prohibits harassment in the workplace relating to a person’s race, religion, color, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Recently, former and current county jail employees lodged formal complaints of harassment by jail administration.