#004 Have A Code Of Conduct — And Uphold It
Code of Conducts can seem like an overkill or dated approach to managing people or creating a safe work environment.
Here’s our take on why this humble document is so important if it’s made and, more importantly, upheld well.
But first, a story.
A few years back I was excited to be part of the Open Government Partnership forum in Tbilisi, Georgia¹. I gave a speech, which scared the life out of me, and then spent the remaining days having conversations and making friends with some truly incredible people.
At the end of the event, there was an after party where, let’s just say… some of these new found friendships turned quite sleazy when alcohol was added to the equation. I felt uncomfortable being at the venue, there were no staff around who were visibly there to help, and so I headed outside.
To my surprise, that’s where I ran into a large majority of my fellow female friends.
Why were we all hiding together outside? Because the event organisers had failed to make a place where everyone was able to be safe.
A code of conduct alone might not have solved this problem, but it would’ve been a good first step to ensure all their guests comfort was front of mind.
So, What Is It?
A Code of Conduct is (brace yourself) a policy document that describes how you expect people in your team, or wider community, to behave when being part of your organisation. It can apply to online forums, in-person events and even just the day-to-day running of your organisation.
If the words ‘policy document’ has you running for the hills, don’t worry. A good Code of Conduct uses simple language and is quick to digest — it talks about the expected behaviour and values you want people to uphold, and outlines clear consequences if they don’t.
In many cases, codes of conduct will never be called upon, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one.
They give vulnerable people a platform to call out bad behaviour and the backing to know that action will be taken to ensure their safety.
Getting Started
Alright, so there are a few parts to this. First, what does a code of conduct even need?
📝 Content
- It should cover what is the expected behaviour;
- What won’t be tolerated;
- What happens if people don’t act in accordance with your code of conduct;
- And how people can safely report instances where there are or have been breaches.
- Note, it should be written in plain language and be no more than 1–2 pages. Policies can be painful to get through, but it’s important everyone reads this.
🔓 Accessibility
- It should be easily findable — creating a shortlink for it helps to share it quickly at events, along with having it visible in communications before and during the event or gathering.
- You should also make it available as part of onboarding to a new forum, community or team.
- However you share it, the easiest way to draw attention to it is verbally (where possible) at the start of any gathering. You can even give a quick summary or make note of any particular expectations that might be unique to your setting.
- There are heaps of great resources out there to draw upon while making your code of conduct.
⚙️ Process
Once you have established a code of conduct, it’s important that you think about and create processes around how you will enforce it too. Think about:
- Who specifically on your team will be responsible and available to listen, and act upon breaches?
- How will people know who to talk to? Are there anonymous ways people can submit feedback (to further protect their safety)?
- How will you respond or report on breaches of your code of conduct? Is it important that others in your community see you uphold it?
A code of conduct doesn’t start and stop with a policy. The real work is in making sure it’s practiced, upheld and enforced by everyone. That’s when you create a positive and safe social environment for everyone.
📒 Resources
- Academy Xi’s Code of Conduct — I love this one particularly for the way it clearly addresses reporting and enforcement.
- Conference Code of Conduct — an open source starter kit that you can build off for your own event.
- Contributor Covenant — a code of conduct for collaborative and open source projects
Conversation Starters
If you need some ways to open the conversation with peers, seniors or even your own internal dialogue, here are some things you could ask:
- What ways are you already making spaces safe and comfortable (this could be the office, events, or online spaces)?
- What are your existing channels for feedback from people? Are these safe processes for anyone to give feedback?
- What feedback have you had in the past from your team or community? Was it actioned, or did anything change from it?
Going Further
It can be one thing to enforce a code of conduct, it can be another to open this up and be transparent about breaches. In showing how things went wrong and what you learned from them, you’re communicating to your team or community that you’re dedicated to their safety, as well as helping others learn from your mistakes. A really good example of this in practice is here.
Also, share your ideas or tips! If you have any good guidelines or resources, I’d love to include them in this article. Feel free to let me know about them via the comments or email here.
Good Work is a collection of bite-sized ideas and resources for organisations wanting to make work, well, more good.
We’re on a mission to catalogue ideas that organisations can use to become more sustainable, healthy and impactful, for both their teams and wider communities.
- If you’re curious about this event / story and want a bit more detail, here’s a piece I wrote back when it happened.
