Ryan Companies to Pay $350K Over Sexual Harassment at Iowa Site

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Office of the Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into a conciliation agreement with Ryan Companies US Inc. to resolve allegations that the federal contractor’s employees faced sexual harassment, a hostile work environment and/or faced retaliatory actions after complaining about harassment and cooperating with federal investigators.

During a routine compliance evaluation, OFCCP discovered worker harassment based on sex that included physical, verbal and visual harassment. The incidents occurred while employed by the Minneapolis-based construction services provider to work on federally funded projects including construction of a U.S. federal courthouse in Des Moines, Iowa.

OFCCP also determined the harassment was severe and pervasive, and officials with Ryan Companies knew of and, in some instances, participated in the harassment. Federal investigators learned employees had complained repeatedly over several years about illegal behaviors. The alleged incidents occurred between March 2021 and February 2024 in the Des Moines metropolitan area.

To resolve the allegations, Ryan Companies entered into an agreement to pay $350,000 in monetary relief and comply with injunctive relief and routine monitoring.

Founded in 1938, Ryan Companies US Inc. is a national builder, developer, designer and real estate manager headquartered in Minneapolis and operates offices throughout the U.S. Ryan Companies currently has contracts with the U.S. General Services Administration. Since 2015, the company has held more than $900 million in federal contracts.

Source: Department of Labor