Arbitration Policy

I. Introduction

The Hartford recognizes that disagreements may arise from time to time between an individual employee and the company concerning work-related issues. The Hartford offers various resources to help employees resolve such disputes and encourages employees to discuss any workplace concerns internally with their manager, other managers within their organization, their HR Business Partner, or an employee relations consultant. The Hartford believes that resolution of such disagreements is best accomplished through internal channels, or where disagreement remains, through private arbitration. We believe the use of arbitration benefits both employees and The Hartford because it typically provides quicker, less costly resolution of disputes than litigation in state or federal courts. To this end, we have created this Arbitration Policy (“Policy”), which applies to both The Hartford and you.
 

II. Application of Policy

A. Who is covered and what participation is required?
 
This Policy applies to all employees who are based at U.S. locations of The Hartford and who received a Letter of Offer of Employment with The Hartford dated on or after March 7, 2012; whose first day of work for The Hartford was on or after April 1, 2012; or who have otherwise agreed to resolve covered disputes in accordance with the Policy. If you have any questions about whether this Policy applies to you, you should contact Employee Relations by submitting a request via the following link: Contact Employee Relations.
 
This Policy constitutes a binding contract between The Hartford and you. The Policy is not a promise that employment will continue for any specific period of time. Employment with The Hartford remains “at-will,” meaning that either you or The Harford may terminate the employment relationship at any time for any lawful reason, with or without prior notice. The intent of the Policy is not to change that relationship, but to provide both you and The Hartford with a timely, cost-effective means of resolving covered disputes
 
This Policy requires both The Hartford and you to attempt to resolve employment related disputes through The Hartford’s Employee Relations (“ER”) Review Process (if you are a current employee) and, where covered disputes remain, through final and binding arbitration. Arbitration is the exclusive forum to resolve such disputes, and both The Hartford and you agree to forgo a trial before a judge or jury in federal or state court in favor of arbitration under the Policy. Further, any dispute covered by this Policy will be arbitrated on an individual basis; that is, no dispute between you and The Hartford that is submitted to arbitration under the Policy may be combined with a dispute between any other employee(s) and The Hartford, nor may you or The Hartford seek to bring a dispute on behalf of others as a “class” or “collective” action under this Policy. If a state or federal court determines that any provision of this Policy is unenforceable and the court cannot revise it to be enforceable, the dispute in question may end up being decided by a judge rather than through arbitration. Similarly, if an arbitrator or court finds that a claim is not covered by this Policy, a state or federal court judge will decide the claim.
 
Certain employees and former employees may be subject to the arbitration requirements of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). This Policy applies to any such person only to the extent that (i) The Hartford waives its right to compel arbitration of such person’s claim(s) to FINRA arbitration, (ii) such person’s claim(s) are not eligible for submission to FINRA arbitration, or (iii) the FINRA declines to accept such person’s claim(s) for arbitration.
 
B. What kinds of disputes are covered?
 
Claims subject to arbitration include only those that arise under applicable federal, state, or local law. While specifics are set forth in greater detail in the Arbitration Process, these claims generally include disputes that:
 
  1. are not specifically excluded from the Policy; and
  2. arise from or involve statutory or common law claims relating to employment, including but not limited to:
  • the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA);
  • the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA);
  • the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA);
  • the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA);
  • Section 1981 through 1988 of Title 42 of the United States Code;
  • state or local anti-discrimination laws;
  • any other federal, state, or local law, ordinance or regulation, or
  • claims based on public policy, contract, tort, or common law or any claim for costs, fees, or other expenses or relief, including attorney’s fees.
All claims that could be raised before a court must be raised in the demand for arbitration. The Policy applies to any covered dispute that is subject to arbitration and that is brought on or after you are subject to the Policy, even if the claim relates to events or concerns occurring prior to your acceptance of the Policy. The policy does not apply, however, to any class or collective actions that are pending at the time that you agree to arbitration. In other words, the policy in no way prohibits you from participating as a representative plaintiff or class member in any class or collective action lawsuit that is pending when you agree to this Policy.
 
C. What kinds of actions are excluded from arbitration?
 
You retain the right to file a claim or charge with any federal, state, or local governmental administrative agency, such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Please understand, however, that you may not recover any monies pursuant to the administrative charge/complaint process. You only can recover monetary damages of any type (e.g., back pay, front pay, compensatory or punitive damages) through arbitration. In addition, private attorney general representative actions are not covered by this Policy, may not be brought in arbitration and may instead be maintained in a court of law, provided, however, that you may seek in arbitration individual remedies for yourself under any applicable private attorney general representative action statute, and the arbitrator shall decide whether you are an aggrieved person under any private attorney general statute. Further, either you or The Hartford may file an application for a provisional remedy (including preliminary injunctions and restraining orders) in the appropriate court in the county where arbitration is pending or, if arbitration is not yet pending, in any proper court upon the ground that an award to which the party applying for the provisional remedy may be entitled to would be rendered ineffectual without provisional relief. Once the court issues a ruling on the application for a provisional remedy, both you and The Hartford are required to submit the dispute to arbitration under this Policy. In addition, the following types of claims are excluded from coverage by this Policy and may be litigated by either you or The Hartford:
 
  • claims for workers' compensation benefits;
  • claims for unemployment compensation benefits;
  • claims based upon The Hartford's (successor or future) long term incentive plans, employee pension and/or welfare benefit plans (unless such a plan includes an arbitration provision, in which case the plan's arbitration provision shall apply to any claims arising thereunder);
  • claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII);
  • claims under federal law, state law, or any tort theory that relate to or arise out of sexual assault or sexual harassment dispute;
  • claims alleging or arising out of felonious criminal conduct, including but not limited to fraud, embezzlement or other felony acts;
  • claims under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act;
  • claims that are subject to the jurisdiction of a small claims court;
  • claims under any other statutes barring pre-dispute arbitration agreements.
D. Employment actions outside the scope of the Policy.
 
As an employer, The Hartford must be able to implement employment actions and appropriate disciplinary measures in a timely manner. This Policy applies to disputes between the parties and not to The Hartford’s day-to-day operations and related employment actions. Accordingly, The Hartford is not required to pursue arbitration before initiating or implementing any employment or disciplinary action against an employee, including termination.
 

III. Employee Relations Review Process

This Policy requires current employees to exhaust the company’s ER Review Process before submitting a demand for arbitration. The Hartford believes that, fundamentally, the best place for employees to resolve a workplace issue is one-on-one with his or her manager, and we encourage you to raise work-related concerns directly with your manager. If your concern is not resolved satisfactorily through discussions with your manager, or if you prefer not to discuss the concern with your manager, you should alert The Hartford to your concern by contacting The HR Service Center, or by contacting your HR Business Partner, who will further attempt to assist you in resolving the concern. If your manager, HR Service Center representative, or HR Business Partner is unable to resolve your concern, he or she will escalate the matter to The Hartford’s Employee Relations Department, and an Employee Relations professional will contact you to initiate the ER Review Process and discuss your concern further. Likewise, you may escalate the matter directly to the Employee Relations Department. You must participate in the ER Review Process, and any related investigation or follow-up steps, before you can pursue arbitration. Failure to participate in a meaningful manner in the ER Review Process (which may include a requirement to complete forms or documents spelling out the information supporting your concern) will be grounds for the Arbitrator to dismiss your claim. The ER Review Process is aimed at helping solve problems pre-arbitration in a timely and fair manner.
 
Employee Relations will complete its review of your concern no more than 120 days from the date it is reported. If, following Employee Relations’ review you wish to arbitrate your concern, you may request that Employee Relations provide you with a written acknowledgement that you have satisfied your obligations under The Hartford’s ER Review Process. Upon your request, an Employee Relations representative will provide you with the written acknowledgement in a timely manner after ER completes its review of the matter. The acknowledgment will confirm that you are eligible to seek arbitration under this Policy if you wish to do so.
 

IV. Arbitration Process

If you are a current employee, once you have received a written acknowledgement from Employee Relations that you have satisfied your obligations under The Hartford’s ER Review Process, you may initiate the Arbitration Process to resolve any covered claims that were the subject of the ER Review Process and remain unresolved. Former employees are not required to exhaust the ER Review Process prior to initiating the Arbitration Process. A full description of The Hartford’s Arbitration Process, as well as the applicable rules and procedures to be used in that process, which is incorporated into this Policy, can be found in the Arbitration Process.
 

V. Modifications

To ensure compliance with all applicable laws and to promote effectiveness toward resolving workplace disputes, The Hartford reserves the right to amend, modify or terminate this Policy at any time, with or without advanced notice. Such actions shall be applied prospectively and, consequently, shall not apply to any arbitration action already initiated.
 

VI. Questions or Concerns

Questions concerning this Policy, how to initiate either the ER Review Process or the Arbitration Process, or any other items provided above, should be directed to your manager, HR Business Partner, or to Employee Relations by submitting a request via the following link: Contact Employee Relations.
 
 
Revision: 12/24/25