Protector Code Of Conduct
Ethical Principles and Values
Integrity - Integrity is our first and foremost important value because it affects the entire team in every aspect of their job. Having integrity means to the team that you are of sound mind when contributing to decision. It means being as honest and unbiased, or being able to admit when you aren’t. As a Protector, you are charged with protecting Arcturus from those who would do harm to it or its user base. It’s important to keep this in mind, especially when it comes to people you like and yourself.
Maturity - It's okay to have fun and make jokes, but it's also important to remember there is a time and place for everything. Maturity also speaks for how you respond to situations. This goes hand in hand with accountability. You have to be mature enough to recognize constructive criticism, recognize a bias when there is one, and be able to admit when you're wrong. It also means having to make hard decisions and being okay with the decisions you make. This is the practice of being sensitive, considerate, and taking responsibility for One's actions. It is being able to change the situations you can and accepting the ones you can't, and knowing the difference between the two.
“Motivation is the fuel, necessary to keep the human engine running.”
― Zig Ziglar Initiative - This goes hand and hand with activity. There is the expectation that each Protector can be self starters as well as part of a team. Especially as a department head, you must be willing to start a discussion or project on your own. Participate without being asked to. Take charge and rally the troops. Make time for your projects. Outside of Tier 4s and Trainees, no one is going to hold your hand. Even then, it's only guidance. The way to success is locked with a key that is within yourself.
Dedication - We don't welcome half-effort staff. We want everyone to be dedicated to be able to make time for their work on Arcturus. Our staff is dedicated to the success of Arcturus and making it a safe place for it's fellow Protectors and users. When you commit to a project, don't flake out, and make sure you communicate. If you can no longer make time for something, you have to be able to recognize that and step back. We want Protectors to actually care about their place here and not be here just because they want to be an admin.
Respect - This is a very important value to Arcturus, its staff, and users. Respect is defined as the "due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others." Respect is probably one of the most important values for Protectors to uphold. Even if you don't agree with someone, you still have to respect they are a human with their own experiences and feelings. They still matter as much as you do and deserve a certain level of respect. Respect towards other Protectors is just as important as well. Protectors should always speak to each other respectfully and professionally.
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." -Vince Lombardi
Confidentiality and Transparency
As a Protector, you will be exposed to many situations that are confidential. Our users and other Protectors expect to be able to trust one another with sensitive information. Betraying this trust will result in an immediate removal from the team. There is a specific policy in place by Chatlands regarding bans and reports. This is the policy Arcturus Protectors must follow as it pertains to bans and reports. Example: UserA: What happened to So&So? They aren't on the team anymore?Protector: She was removed from the team for Code of Conduct violations Other than this, it's about personal privacy. Use your best judgement and only disclose information that does not violate someone else's privacy or a Chatlands Policy. Arcturus strives for as much transparency as possible, so we encourage being open with users, especially about suggestions. Our policy on suggestions, to add to that, is we keep them on the original topic and let users guide the discussion. There's no reason to hide much of what we do from users as it's not honestly a secret. Just remember, if it involved a specific person and would violate their privacy, then we cannot disclose it.
AccountabilityAs a Protector, accountability is important; each Protector needs to finish the task you have chosen. By not following through, whether you try to make an excuse or something along those lines, it can affect the entire team. Accountability is taking action, such as: Responsibilities, as a Protector this includes daily tasks (monitoring the chat,forums, and discord), participating in discussions/meetings, helping users when they ask for assistant, taking on a task that requires attention and much more! Accountability is important for both Protectors and users alike, if no one would take accountability for anything, the community would be a mess. This also includes owning up when you are wrong.
Here are a few examples of accountability:
You said you would do a task and you agreed to do by the end of the day. As the end of the day nears, you stopped doing the task, another Protector asked you if you finished the task and you said, “yes”. Unfortunately, you did not finish the task and as the other Protector brings it your attention, instead of owning up to your mistake, you keep insisting you finished.
Another example: You kicked a user before the idle time was up, but you have done this in the past before, the user or another Protector brings it up with you and you own up to your mistake.
Remember: We are all humans and we make mistakes. We make mistakes and learn from them, just keep moving forward!
“ There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. " -Denis Waitley
ProfessionalismWhile it’s encouraged that Protectors be themselves when interacting with others, there is still a certain level of professionalism expected. This would include not being petty, avoiding making passive aggressive or problematic remarks where they could be harmful, maintaining a level of composure on and off-site, not using Arcturus as a medium to further a movement or view, etc. This also goes for being under any influence. As a Protector, you cannot be on duty on chat while under any influence of drugs or alcohol. This is not to say you can't enjoy it. However, as a Protector, we are setting examples. We cannot be online presenting erratic behavior due to being under the influence.
Activity & Hiatus PolicyProtectors are expected to be able to be present, participate, add input, and/or be on chat an average of about 14-15 hrs a week or about 2 hours a night on average. When on a semi-hiatus, that number is reduced by half or less, any less than half warrants a full hiatus. For any amount longer than 3 days but less than 7 days, a post in the absence thread/channel must be made. Any duration longer than 7 days, a hiatus must be approved. The hiatus must include the intended duration of the hiatus and reason if necessary. For each year, 60 days of "off time" are allowed. Off time are days in a row you are not required to be present in any capacity. In some cases, semi-hiatus will also be acceptable. Certain cases do not count towards the 60 days of off time. The process for this would be speaking to an alpha as soon as possible. Then, 30 free days are given, after which, the staff is asked if they are ready to come back. At which point, they are treated on a case by case basis. These cases include, but are not limited to, the death of a family member or medical emergency. If there is uncertainty, then speaking with an alpha is the best bet. This is a team; communication is key. We do not fire for activity concerns but a retirement may happen if there is not enough activity.
Anti-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Discrimination is defined as the “unjust prejudicial treatment” of others based on something out of their control such as age, race, sex, gender, disability, etc. It is the responsibility of each individual Protector to never discriminate against anyone, staff or otherwise, and to hold each other accountable to make sure it doesn’t happen. The use of slurs in any form, even a joke, is strictly prohibited by a Protector. Homophobia, Transphobia, Racism, Abelism, etc. is not allowed at all on the team and is highly frowned upon on chat. Arcturus is a safe space for everyone!
Behavior Off-Site First let’s define what is considered off-site and on-site. Any site affiliated with Arcturus and Chatlands, LLC. is considered on-site, including forums and any other chat server counts as on-site. Behavior on-site should adhere to Arcturs and Chatlands rules and code of conduct. Behavior off-site should still set an example. We add people to the team that we believe would uphold our values to the best of their ability. Bullying, radical beliefs and messages, messages that would be harmful, etc. Keep this in mind when when interacting on other sites. It’s also best to keep Facebook and other sites used to discuss personal opinions and sensitive matters separate from Chatlands.
Disciplinary Actions Each offense is taken on a case by case basis, however, disciplinary actions can include demotion to a lower rank and even termination of the position completely. For serious offenses, banning from ever being an administrator is also possible. Serious offenses can be reported to Overseers and further disciplinary action could be taken. There is a three strike rule as we do like to practice forgiveness, however, is the infraction is severe or problematic enough we can as well immediately impose disciplinary actions such as a probation period, demotion, or even departure from the team.
Oath "I, ________, on this _____ day of _____ in the year _____ do solemnly swear to uphold the ethics and values of Arcturus. I swear to follow the Code of Conduct of both Arcturus and Chatlands alike and to never stray from the path. I swear to always support my team and contribute. I swear I will never hinder the success and safety of Arcturus, my fellow Protectors, and fellow users of Chatlands. "
New Protectors, please copy and paste with the appropriate blanks in and respond below. This is the Protector Promise.
“Remember you are the voice for those who cannot talk; you are the protector of those who cannot protect themselves.” ― Debasish Mridha