CoC Procedures Review

Do you have a Code of Conduct, but don’t know what to do when a violation is reported? Does your Code of Conduct committee struggle to make decisions and follow up with reports? Do you have a complex community structure that standard Codes of Conduct don’t cover? The Otter Tech Code of Conduct procedures review will help you!

Procedures Review

Otter Tech can help you create a custom Code of Conduct, committee procedures guide, and reporter’s guide. We’ll provide you with advice on the current best practices for Code of Conduct committees.

During a Code of Conduct procedures review, Otter Tech will review and create or edit the following documents:

• Code of Conduct including an intent statement, community norms, a list of inappropriate behavior, a list of spaces the Code of Conduct applies to, a list of protected demographics, and (optionally) a section on supporting diversity and an event weapons policy
• Reporter Guide to tell community members how to make a report of a potential Code of Conduct violation, what steps will be taken when the report is received, and what the typical report response time is
• Committee Procedures Guide that defines how the Code of Conduct enforcement committee on-boards and off-boards committee members, deals with conflicts of interest, protects reporter privacy, documents report history, creates transparency reports, evaluates a report of a Code of Conduct violation, decides on consequences or a behavioral modification plan for the reported person, follows up with the reported person, and follows up with the reporter

Otter Tech creates customized documents for your community, addressing your most pressing needs. We start your customization from a Code of Conduct template, which is licensed under a Creative Commons Share-Alike Attribution license. The resulting Code of Conduct, reporter guide, and committee procedures guide will be licensed under the same license.

Some communities need internal documents that cannot be released under a Creative Commons license. Those documents contain sensitive information, such as escalation paths, contact information, or instructions on how to access private committee resources. Otter Tech can work with you to create such documents.

Working through the questions that the Code of Conduct template raises can be confusing! We recommend hiring Otter Tech to walk you through the pros and cons of the different options. Contact us today or schedule a free 30 minute consultation session.

Incident Review Retainer

Clients that have purchased a Code of Conduct procedure review are welcome to set up a retainer contract with Otter Tech. The retainer contract allows you to contact Otter Tech for advice on complex Code of Conduct situations.

Otter Tech does not provide incident review for communities who have not purchased a Code of Conduct procedures customization package.

The incident review retainer includes:

• Review of anonymized reports. Otter Tech will review report details where names and identifying details removed, as well as anonymized patterns of past inappropriate behavior.
• Advice on how to evaluate a report. Otter Tech will help your Code of Conduct committee decide on a behavioral modification plan, consequences for inappropriate behavior, and potential consequences if the reported person does not agree to the behavioral modification plan.
• Evaluation of complicated situations. Otter Tech can provide you advice on how to handle sensitive or complex reports.
• Advice on re-integration. Otter Tech can help you decide whether a reported person should continue being involved in your community. We’ll help you set people up for success after being reported or coming back from a temporary ban.

Otter’s incident review retainer is for a minimum of three months, with an option to renew. The retainer is for a specified number of review hours each month. You’ll be invoiced regardless of whether there are any incidents to review. Clients can be invoiced for additional review hours beyond the retainer contract if needed.