The Quick Version

We are dedicated to a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of who you are and what makes you you.  We recognize the right of any individual to attend and participate. Anyone.  This is included but not limited to gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, or any other classification, affiliation, or label.

We do not tolerate harassment in any form. For the duration of your engagement with GroupBy and its programs, you are expected to act appropriately and to adhere to this Code of Conduct.  This includes conduct in-person and online, at the conference itself, and any non-conference programs that may include participants: including talks, workshops, parties, on social media, and other online forums. GroupBy participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled without a refund (if that applies) at the discretion of the conference organizers.

The Less Quick Version

While who you are is never the issue of your participation, what you do determines if you are welcome at GroupBy. We simply don’t tolerate harassment of any kind. Harassment can include but is not limited to  offensive verbal comments or electronic messages related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, or any other classification or label.  Harassment may include display of sexual images in public spaces, intimidation, threats or threatening behavior, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of gatherings or events, inappropriate physical contact, unwelcome attention, or inappropriate language.  Making false reports of harassment is also considered harassment. 

Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately.

Sponsors are also subject to the anti-harassment policy. In particular, sponsors should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material.

If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, the conference organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender, contacting authorities, and/or expelling the party from the event. 

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the GroupBy Committee immediately at Conduct@GroupBy.org.

What happens when you make a report?

1. The GroupBy Committee will receive your report and assign two responders from GroupBy’s organizers to you. One of the responders will be a diversity ambassador who is appointed by the GroupBy Committee.
2. We will privately document your report and explain in detail what the possible outcomes are and what will be asked of you. We may then interview other people, such as witnesses, or the person the report is about if it is deemed necessary.
3. We will then bring all collected information to the GroupBy Committee and determine if the code of conduct has been violated.
4. The GroupBy Committee will determine an appropriate action and communicate to all parties involved.

What will GroupBy do in response to my report?

GroupBy will always prioritize the physical and psychological safety of all our attendees over a single person’s desire to attend or participate in our event. To this end, we reserve the right to:

• Request that someone who is breaking this code of conduct change their behavior
• Revoke access to some or all events and programs
• Change the way a participant may access the event
• Involve law enforcement
• Deny membership for a period of one or more years, or permanently
• Choose not to act

The GroupBy Committee members will follow this policy and internal procedures with the safety of attendees in mind. GroupBy is operated by Paper Sword B2B in Canada. We follow Canadian laws for when and how we involve law enforcement.

What won’t happen if I make a report?

We will keep your identity and the substance of your report confidential unless it is necessary to obtain information about the incident or to take action related to the incident.

• We will not take any sort of retaliatory action against you for reporting — or not reporting — a problem in good faith.
• We will not ignore your report or delay responding to it.
• We will not provide mediation or intermediary communication services.
• We will not respond to requests for information on parties who have been sanctioned.

What will happen if someone says I caused a problem?

If we are made aware that you have violated the code of conduct, two GroupBy representatives will ask to speak with you about it in private

If you decline to be interviewed, we may ask you to leave the event or program. If, after speaking with you, we believe that you have violated the code of conduct, we may ask you to change your behavior, leave, or take other actions. We will not take action until you’ve been given the opportunity to speak with us, and we’ve done our best to get a clear picture of what happened.

If we believe that no violation occurred, you are welcome to continue your involvement with GroupBy, its events and programs as usual. We will not attempt to mediate or carry messages between you and the person who made the report. If someone deliberately makes a false report about you, that is itself a code of conduct violation and we will take appropriate action in response.