WSRS Dignity Policy

Summary

WSRS promotes an environment of inclusiveness and dignity for its members and officers, whether online, offline or in face-to-face meetings. This document forms part of the WSRS Code of Conduct, sets out our Dignity policy and tells you where you can report violations.

Code of Conduct for all WSRS activities

WSRS is dedicated to being inclusive of everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, beliefs or religious opinions. We do not tolerate bullying or harassment of anyone within WSRS’s sphere of activities, in any form, online or offline. WSRS members adopt the Society’s Code of Conduct on joining the Society. A breaches of the Code of Conduct may be treated as a resignation offence. WSRS expects its members to act in respectful ways.

This code of conduct applies to all WSRS activities, including but not limited to conferences, workshops, social events, social media, and mailing lists. It also applies to all interactions between colleagues, and with partners, clients and external contacts via any means, including face-to-face meetings, email, online chat, video calls or any other channel of communication.

How to report an incident

You can make an online report, which may be anonymous, via this form. This will send an alert to the WSRS officers, who will deal with your issue as promptly as possible, and, if requested (and if you have provided contact details), respond to you with the outcome.
We encourage reporting of behaviour which you find offensive even if it is not directed at you. We want to ensure that WSRS is aware of and can act on all incidents that take place.

How we will respond to an incident

If the person who is causing you concern is a WSRS Officer, they will remove themselves from being involved in your case and they will update the other Officers of the Society.
We will conduct a confidential investigation into the issue you’ve raised. This may involve speaking with witnesses, and gathering other sources of evidence, in order to establish what happened. The Officer investigating will do their best to be fair and objective – their role is to get balanced evidence from both sides. Therefore, if you have complained about a specific person the Officers will tell them there has been a complaint (withholding your name) and ask for their version of events, unless the Officers judge there is a risk that they might tamper with evidence or influence witnesses. The lead investigating Officer will be asked to make a recommendation to the rest of the Officers about what action needs to be taken.
The Officers of the Society will act as promptly as they can to resolve the situation. In a ‘live event’ situation, speed may be of the essence; however, the Officers will do their best not to let that compromise fairness.

What constitutes a violation of the Code of Conduct?

Violations include, but are not limited to:

Offensive or personal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, beliefs or religion
Aggressive language or behaviour towards an individual
Use of status or power to coerce other/s into acting against their will
Sexual comments or images shared in public or directly to an individual, without permission
Inappropriate physical contact; unwelcome sexual attention

Photography or recording of specific participants unless explicit permission has been given*
Sustained disruption of talks or other events
Deliberate intimidation; following or stalking
Exclusion or victimisation
Unfair treatment

Those asked to cease in any of the behaviour listed above will be expected to comply immediately. On receiving a report of violations, WSRS officers may take any action deemed appropriate for the investigation, including warning the offender; expulsion from an event with no refund; or blocking them from use of our online channels.

If you feel that you are being troubled by the actions of another member, notice that someone else may be being troubled, or have any other concerns, please contact the WSRS Officers using the reporting process set out above. All reports will be handled in the strictest confidence.

What we expect

In all WSRS activities, we expect participants to:
Contribute towards a safe and productive environment where everyone feels able to express themselves without prejudice
Listen to others’ ideas and contributions; allow everyone to have a chance to speak
Discuss any disagreements that arise in a respectful and objective manner
Pay attention when others voice their discomfort or state their boundaries
Challenge or report any behaviour which does not adhere to this code of conduct
If you are unsure whether your planned behaviour or comments may cause discomfort to others: ask.

If you need extra help

Please let the Officers know, as soon as possible in advance, if you require any form of support in order to participate in WSRS activities. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Finally

Breaches of the Dignity Policy and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our community for everyone. The Officers want you to have positive experiences as part of the WSRS community. Please think before you speak, act, or tweet, and you will be helping to make a better experience for all.

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*Photography and videoing of presentations is generally permitted, unless stated beforehand. We sometimes video and photograph WSRS events for use on our blog and social media. We often have a system in place to identify those who do not wish to be recorded. If you would prefer not to feature in photographs or videos, please make this known to one of the officers at the beginning of the event.

This code was last updated: July 2021