Policy Purpose
Our Alliance Atlanta Code of Conduct policy outlines our expectations regarding member and volunteer behavior towards Alliance as an organization, the Chapters of Alliance, and interactions with other members/players of Alliance at or adjacent to Alliance functions.We promote freedom of expression and open communication, but in addition we also expect all members, and require all staff members, to follow our code of conduct.
Staff members and volunteers are expected to avoid out of game disruption of Alliance events (and Alliance adjacent events). It is fine to participate according to the rules, but if the actions you are taking require other officials to step in to manage the actions, this would be against the spirit of this policy.
Staff members and volunteers are expected to avoid participating in out-of-game serious disputes which are disrupting a (non-Atlanta) Alliance event unless called on by an official of said event. This is similar to policy #1 In scope; arguing with your friends about rules privately is fine, but jumping into the middle of a staff member handling an issue without request and interrupting is uncalled for.
Staff members and volunteers must recognize that their actions reflect back on our chapter. Being anti-social or unwelcoming in public and/or LARP settings hurts our chapter’s brand and makes it harder for us and our local players to participate within the greater network and the hobby. For that reason it is an expectation for our staff members and volunteers that they foster a well-organized, respectful, and collaborative environment.
Staff membership will be revoked if a member is banned from any other chapter within the Alliance network. On a case-by-case basis, and at the chapter owners’ discretion, this may extend to disciplinary actions and/or notices of bans from other LARP communities.
Scope
This policy applies to all of our staff members and volunteers regardless of position.Policy elements
Alliance Atlanta Staff members and volunteers are expected to follow the code of conduct whenever interacting with LARP specific environments (Live games, Online LARP spaces, official LARP non-game events, etc.). We outline the components of our Code of Conduct below with the following notes - Staff lead refers to all primary positional staff members: Head of Logistics, Head of Rules, Head of Member Experience, Head of Monster Camp, and all Plot members. Staff member refers to any official Alliance Atlanta permanent staff member - Plot, PR, Logistics, Etc., Volunteer refers to any one-off volunteer who has committed to a specific action for a specific event: NPCing, running a booth at a non-game event, etc.Compliance with law
Staff members and volunteers must first and foremost protect our organizations legality. We expect employees to be ethical and responsible when dealing with our finances, equipment, partnerships, and public image.
Respect in the organization
Staff members and volunteers are expected to respect their colleagues. We won’t allow any kind of discriminatory behavior, bullying, harassment, or victimization. While the occasional argument will happen, a volunteer who becomes known as a consistent source of antagonism will be removed from staff.
Protection of Property
All Staff members and volunteers should treat our organizations’ property, material or intangible, with respect and care.
Staff members and volunteers should protect organizational non-game property from damage whenever possible (don’t kill the printer!).
Professionalism
All staff members and volunteers must show integrity and professionalism in LARP environments with additional specific interest towards the following areas:
-Corruption
Any staff member found to be accepting gifts of any manner for the purpose of exchange of in-game or out-of-game benefits outside of the chapter managed donation systems will be removed from staff. We run specific donation drives and manage all gifts to the chapter at the chapter level. We prohibit bribery for the benefit of any external or internal party.
-Job duties and authority
All staff members and volunteers are expected to fulfill their job duties with integrity and respect toward the organization and the community. Plot members and staff leads must not abuse their authority. We expect them to delegate duties to their team members taking into account the scope of the volunteer position and the individual's workload. Likewise, we expect volunteer team members to follow team leaders’ instructions and complete their agreed-upon assignments with skill and in a timely manner.
-Absenteeism
Staff members and volunteers are expected to be present at each Alliance Atlanta LARP game event to which they have committed. While emergencies and other unforeseen conflicts do occur, a plot member or staff lead who has continual conflicts arise will be at a minimum reduced to volunteer status, and a volunteer who routinely misses commitments will be relegated to PC only status. Staff Leads are required to miss no more than one of our live game events throughout each season (non-game events are encouraged, but will not have a lead requirement).
-Conflict of interest
Staff members will avoid any LARP commitments which will create conflict with the operation of their position, or which would create a scenario where they divulge privileged information to an outside party (Being on ARC and talking about Rules calls from your local game is fine; joining another organization and exposing the chapter finances or membership email lists is not)
-Collaboration
Staff members and volunteers are expected to be friendly and collaborative out of game. They should try not to disrupt the work or present obstacles to their colleagues’ work. When requesting something from another group, i.e. plot needs something from logistics, requests need to be timely and specific, and any last minute/immediate response requests may be denied. That said, any reasonable request delivered in a timely manner should be responded to with completion by an agreed upon date via both parties, or a reasonable denial/extension response. Should conflict arise from this, bring it first to the chapter owners if peaceful resolution is not working. Passive aggressive actions/responses are considered bullying.
-Communication
All staff members and volunteers must be open for communication with their colleagues, leads, and team members. If you cannot work with one of our staff leads or owners for any reason we will ask that you PC instead.
-Benefits
All staff members and volunteers will receive rewards based upon their specific activity or actions in Goblin Stamps (GS) which are good for use within Alliance Atlanta via the CMA, or through working with our logistics team. These rewards are given as appreciation for the volunteerism, but have no intrinsic monetary value of their own. In addition, volunteerism (staff or otherwise) will not result in monetary gain, or provide other exclusive advantages or titles within our gaming system. In certain specific situations the chapter owners will additionally reward Dragon Stamps (DS) which can be utilized within any chapter in the organization. These rewards are generally held for exceptional activities, donations, or for consistent positive actions over a significant period of time.
-Policies
All staff members and volunteers should read and follow our organizational policies. If they have any questions, they should ask the owners at Alliancelarpatlanta@gmail.com.
Disciplinary actions
Our organization may have to take disciplinary action against members or volunteers who repeatedly or intentionally fail to follow our code of conduct. Disciplinary actions will vary depending on the violation.
Possible consequences include:
Loss of position.
Suspension from community activities.
Loss of chapter awards
Local or National ban from Alliance.
We may take legal action in cases of corruption, theft, embezzlement or other unlawful behavior.