Code of Conduct

How to use this document.

Please treat the code of conduct as a guide instead of the letter of the law.

This policy is a “living” document, and subject to refinement and expansion in the future. Last updated May 27, 2020

If you believe someone is violating the code of conduct see each section below for our Statement of Inclusion, Code, Link to Definitions and How to Report an incident.

This is an open source living document. You can access a google doc version here as well as the resources used to inform its creation below. 

Who is this for?

 

Everyone participating in the Collective Flow Consulting community is required to adhere to the following Code of Conduct–including, but not limited to the coFLOWco Slack channel, blog, and any coFLOWco contractor, employee or representative attending internal or client meetings, volunteering or connecting externally with the community as a representative of coFLOWco, digitally or irl. 

We trust all founders, leadership, consultants, staff, and volunteers to consider these rules in all company communication. And, we encourage clients, colleagues, friends, vendors, collaborators, accomplices, co-conspirators and stakeholders to follow or adopt this document as well, including our Statement of Inclusion.

Code

The strength of coFLOWco comes from its varied community: people from a wide range of backgrounds. Different people have different perspectives on issues. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn't mean that they're wrong. Don't forget that it is human to err. Own your mistakes and listen. Do not point fingers or try to assign blame. We want you to bring your whole self to this community without fear of judgement, harm or retribution.

 

  • Be welcoming, considerate, and respectful.

  • Be intentional about what you say and use conscious language. 

  • Listen to without defensiveness.

  • When we disagree, try to understand why first. 

  • Be willing to help resolve issues and to learn from mistakes. 

Violations of the Code

 

coFLOWco is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, ability, neurotype, physical appearance, body, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form virtually or in person.

See our Definitions of harassment and reverse-isms in this link.

Anyone who violates this Code of Conduct in one of our spaces (virtual included) will be asked to stop immediately. You may be expelled or put on probation from any or all of coFLOWco spaces at the discretion of coFLOWco leadership. 

Depending on the issue, legal action may also be taken. 

 

coFLOWco prioritizes marginalized people’s safety over privileged people’s comfort. We will not act on complaints regarding: 

  • Reverse-isms

  • Criticism of racist, sexist, cis-sexist, or otherwise oppressive behavior or assumptions

  • Reasonable communication of boundaries. Examples include, but are not limited to: 

    • “Leave me alone.” 

    • “Go away.”

    • “I’m not discussing this with you.”

  • Communicating without harassment, but in a tone that doesn’t suit you or makes you feel unsafe.

Creation of Code of Conduct: Opensource Resources

This policy was heavily adapted from XOXO, Geek Feminism and Django. We encourage others to adopt a policy similar to this. Please see Geek Feminism’s freely reusable and modifiable policy. 

Zero tolerance-really? Really.

About Enforcing Policies and Codes

Your code of conduct isn’t $hi# if you don’t enforce it. It’s meaningless if your culture is to ignore or silence bad behavior. If you put the onus on the victim to speak up, or promote a culture that is not radically honest about how they treat each other and what is unacceptable.

It’s a waste of time if white people use their safety and privilege to stay quiet hoping someone else will say something. It’s useless if other people don’t enforce it. If you’re in a group, and something inappropriate happens, what’s the point of having a code if no one speaks up? If you say “We value marginalized people’s safety over white peoples/privileged comfort” but the room is 90% white, then what?

Also who decides what safety means? Define it. Your safe, my safe, and their safe are not all the same.

Herein lies the crux: policy is not practice is not philosophy. You have to build with a better culture first and foremost, because you know it’s the right thing to do. Define what that better philosophy is in policy; build and grow on it in practice. Living documents are meant to change for a reason. The world evolves, and so should your business.

“And I was blessed with a birth and a death; and I guess I just wanted some say in between.”

— Ani Difranco