Reporting Negative Social Incidents

As WARG grows in size there will be an unfortunately higher chance of unwanted events such as bullying, harrassment, inappropriate behaviour, etc. occurring that will have a negative impact on the overall team morale, reputation, and create a possibly hostile environment for members. It is important to foster an environment where members, however new they may be, are comfortable reporting such incidences and have confidence that they will be addressed. Hence, this protocol has been devised.

Member Guidelines

Team members should report ANY event, activity, etc. that they witness that goes against the team charter or what they perceive to be inappropriate behaviour. This can include:

• Bullying

• Harrassment of any form (physical, verbal, sexual)

• Perceived discrimination for any reason, including but not limited to race

• Aggressive behaviour that undermines or discourages other team members from speaking their opinion

• Theft or disrespect for team property

These reports should first go to the relevant subteam leads. If this issue is regarding behaviour of Subtream Leads then it should be brought to the attention of one of the Team Leads.

Lead Guidelines - Handling Such Incidences

Wherever possible, such incidences should be handled at the Subteam lead level. This includes problems that can be solved with a conversation or clarification of rules and expected behaviours. After the situation is resolved, it should be reported to the Team Leads and also documented in locked confluence documents as per Confluence .

All conversations regarding any individual’s behaviour should be done by two senior team members, one who is the primary driver of the talk and another who is there as a witness. This will ensure that there is no further issues created due to the conversation itself.

If the situation includes more serious offences such as bullying, theft of resources, etc. then it should be escalated to the Team Leads where appropriate action will be taken. This includes removing them from the team, as has been done in the past. Each situation will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Please note appropriate action may include law enforcement and the university administration.

Lets foster a clean, open environment where such activity is nipped in the bud!