Our Code of Conduct is designed to make it clear that we believe in tolerance, respect, openness, inclusion and hard work. We want all Biteable members to feel valued, respected and most of all safe.
- Be open: We invite anybody from Biteable to participate in any aspect of our projects. Our company is open, and any responsibility can be carried by any contributor who demonstrates the required capacity and competence.
- Be empathetic and respectful: We work together to resolve conflict, assume good intentions and do our best to act in an empathetic fashion. We don’t allow frustration to turn into a personal attack. A company where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. We expect Biteable members to resolve disagreements constructively.
- Be collaborative: Collaboration reduces redundancy and improves the quality of our work. We prefer to work transparently and involve interested parties as early as possible. Wherever possible, we work closely with other people and projects to coordinate our efforts.
- Be pragmatic: Nobody knows everything! Asking questions early avoids problems later, so questions are encouraged, though they may be directed to the appropriate forum. Those who are asked should be responsive and helpful.
- Step down considerately: Members of every team come and go. When somebody leaves or disengages from the company, we ask that they do so in a way that minimizes disruption to the rest. They should tell people they are leaving and take the proper steps to ensure that others can pick up where they left off.
- Take responsibility for our words and our actions: We can all make mistakes; when we do, we take responsibility for them. If someone has been harmed or offended, we listen carefully and respectfully, and work to right the wrong.
The following list expresses some of our many intentions on these topics:
- Setting the direction: The ultimate direction of Biteable comes from our Founders and Board who delegate specific responsibilities and the corresponding authority to a series of teams and individuals. Leadership is not an award, right, or title; it is a privilege, a responsibility and a mandate, and one the Founders and Board take seriously.
- We delegate: Good leaders know when to delegate. The best leaders balance delegation with hard work of their own. Of course, leadership doesn’t mean that leaders delegate unpleasant work to others. Instead, leaders balance hard work on their own—leadership by example—with delegation to others. A leader's foremost goal is ensuring that their team members and team succeed.
- We lead by example: The Code of Conduct does not only apply to leaders; it applies to leaders more. Leaders do their very best to show more patience, more respect, and more civility than other members of Biteable.
- We value discussion, data and decisiveness: We gather opinions, data and commitments from concerned parties before making decisions. Once a reasonable amount of research is performed and data collected, we do our best to move decisively and efficiently. If we make a mistake, we’ll go back and fix it.
- We give credit where it’s due: A good leader does not seek the limelight but aims to congratulate their team for the work they do. While leaders are frequently more visible than their team, leaders within Biteable use their visibility to highlight the great work of their team members and others.
- We’ll help however we can: If a member has a concern, it should be brought to the Founders. Know that we’ll do our best to help you out of any precarious of uncomfortable positions. Your happiness, productivity and peace of mind are priorities for us.
- We are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of level of experience, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, nationality, or other similar characteristic.
- In Slack or IRC, please avoid using overtly sexual nicknames or other nicknames that might detract from a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all.
- Please be kind and courteous. There's no need to be mean or rude.
- Respect that people have differences of opinion and that every design or implementation choice carries a trade-off and numerous costs. There is seldom a right answer.
- Please keep unstructured critique to a minimum. If you have solid ideas you want to experiment with, make a fork and see how it works.
- We will exclude you from interaction if you insult, demean or harass anyone. That is not welcome behaviour.
- Private harassment is also unacceptable. No matter who you are, if you feel you have been or are being harassed or made uncomfortable by a fellow Biteable member, please contact another member immediately. Preferably a Founder. If you feel uncomfortable speaking with them directly, approach a fellow team member first and ask them to represent you. Whether you're new or have been part of Biteable for a long time, we care about making Biteable a safe place for you, and we've got your back.
- Likewise any spamming, trolling, flaming, baiting or other attention-stealing behaviour is not welcome.