Introduction

This code of conduct governs the environment of the UnstoppableMe.rocks community. We created it not because we anticipate bad behavior, but because we believe that articulating our values and obligations to one another reinforces the already exceptional level of respect among the team and because having a code provides us with clear avenues to correct our culture should it ever stray from that course. We make this code public in the hopes of contributing to the ongoing conversation about inclusion in the tech, design, and media communities and encourage other teams to fork it and make it their own. To our team, we commit to enforce and evolve this code as our team grows.

Scope

The contents of this code of conduct apply to our interactions in various areas of our shared professional lives, including physical and virtual meetings, events, email exchanges, social media, and any other way we represent UnstoppableMe.rocks.

Values

We want our team to be a fun, productive, and safe space for all members. In addition to core values of respect and honesty, there are several ways in which our product team distinguishes itself.

Passion, We are passionate about success and personal development. We believe in working hard while also having fun and recognizing and rewarding our people.

Learning Centre, We continuously explore new ideas and try new approaches in a safe environment. We learn from successes as well as failures with an entrepreneurial mindset.

Empowerment, We empower our people to make independent decisions and help one another in achieving goals.

Accountability, We do what we say we will and take ownership of our decisions, actions, and outcomes.

Social Responsibility, We believe in the importance of serving others and taking positive actions to improve the community.

Collaboration. We maintain open lines of communication and foster good relationships with everyone.  Collaboration is core to our success.

Expected behaviors

Every member of the product team is expected to work hard, be considerate of their colleagues across the company, and contribute to a collaborative, positive, and healthy environment in which we can all succeed.

Be supportive, both proactively and responsively. Offer to help if you see someone struggling or otherwise in need of assistance (taking care not to be patronizing or disrespectful). If someone approaches you looking for help, be generous with your time; if you’re under a deadline, direct them to someone else who may be of assistance. Go out of your way to include people in team jokes or memes, recognizing that we want to build an environment free of cliques.

Be collaborative. Involve your colleagues in brainstorms, sketching sessions, code reviews, planning documents, and the like. It’s not only okay to ask for help or feedback often, it’s unacceptable not to do so. Don’t succumb to either impostor syndrome (believing that you don’t deserve to be here) or blowhard syndrome (believing you can do no wrong). Recognize that in addition to asking for feedback, you are similarly obligated to give it.

Be generous and kind in both giving and accepting constructive feedback. Constructive feedback is a natural and important part of our culture. Good feedback is kind, respectful, clear, and constructive, focused on goals and requirements rather than personal preferences. You are expected to give and receive constructive feedback with grace.

Be respectful of others. Every member of our team is remote at least some of the time. Adopt habits that are inclusive and productive for team members wherever they are: make liberal use of video hangouts, document meetings, and decisions thoroughly, and pay attention to timezones when scheduling events.

Be humane. Be polite and friendly in all forms of communication, especially remote communication, where opportunities for misunderstanding are greater. Use sarcasm carefully. The tone is hard to decipher online; make judicious use of emoji to aid in communication. Use video meetings when it makes sense; face-to-face discussion benefits from all kinds of social cues that may go missing in other forms of communication.

Unacceptable behaviors

UnstoppableMe is committed to providing a welcoming and safe environment for people of all races, gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, physical abilities, physical appearances, socioeconomic backgrounds, life experiences, nationalities, ages, religions, and beliefs. Discrimination and harassment are expressly prohibited in our book. Harassment may include, but is not limited to, intimidation; stalking; unwanted recording or photography; inappropriate physical contact; use of sexual or discriminatory imagery, comments, or jokes; intentional or repeated misgendering; sexist, racist, ableist, or otherwise discriminatory or derogatory language; and unwelcome sexual attention.

In order to provide such an environment, we commit to being considerate in our language use. Any behavior or language which is unwelcoming—whether or not it rises to the level of harassment—is also strongly discouraged.

Reporting a problem

These guidelines are ambitious, and we’re going to do our best in meeting them. When something goes wrong—whether it’s a microaggression or an instance of harassment—there are a number of things you can do to address the situation.  We know that you’ll be your best self if you’re happy and comfortable in your surroundings, so we take concerns about this stuff seriously. Depending on your comfort level and the severity of the situation, here are some things you can do to address it:

  1. Address it directly. If you’re comfortable bringing up the incident with the person who instigated it, pull them aside to discuss how it affected you. Be sure to approach these conversations in a forgiving spirit: an angry or tense conversation will not do either of you any good. If you’re unsure how to go about that, try discussing with your manager or with the people and culture team first—they might have some advice about how to make this conversation happen.If you’re too frustrated to have a direct conversation, there are a number of alternate routes you can take.
  2. Talk to a peer or mentor. Your colleagues are likely to have personal and professional experience on which to draw that could be of use to you. If you have someone you’re comfortable approaching, reach out, and discuss the situation with them. They may be able to advise on how they would handle it or direct you to someone who can. The flip side of this, of course, is that you should also be available when your colleagues reach out to you.
  3. Talk to a member of the leadership team. They are good people to look to for advice. They may also be able to talk directly to the member in question if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe doing so yourself. Finally, the leadership team will be able to help you figure out how to ensure that any conflict with a member doesn’t interfere with you, your work, or your community involvement.

Taking care of each other

Sometimes, you’ll be a witness to something that seems like it isn’t aligned with our values. Err on the side of caring for your colleagues and members in situations like these. Even if an incident seems minor, reach out to the person impacted by it to check-in. In certain situations, it may even be helpful to speak directly to the person who has violated the code of conduct and/or the leadership team to voice your concerns.

If you want to speak to a person impacted by an incident or to the person who has violated the code of conduct, but you’re unsure of how to navigate these interactions, try reaching out to the leadership team —these conversations are tricky, and the leadership team can help you figure out how best to approach them.

Committing to improvement

We understand that none of us are perfect: It’s expected that all of us, regardless of our backgrounds, will from time to time fail to live up to our very high standards. What matters isn’t having a perfect track record, but owning up to your mistakes and making a clear and persistent effort to improve. If you are approached as having (consciously or otherwise) acted in a way that might make your colleagues or members feel unwelcome, refrain from being defensive; remember that if someone calls you out, it likely took a great deal of courage for them to do so. The best way to respect that courage is to acknowledge your mistake, apologize, and move on—with a renewed commitment to do better.

That said, repeated or severe violations of this code can and will be addressed by the leadership team, and can lead to disciplinary actions, including termination.

Contributing

Members of UnstoppableMe are invited to contribute to this code of conduct by sending us your feedback. Feel free to ask questions or send us your suggestion for evolving our policies, please send us as much context as you can. If you’ve spotted a typo, discriminatory language, or any other change.

You may speak privately about a proposed change to the leadership team before raising it here if you like.

All changes and suggestions will be vetted by the leadership team.