Code of Conduct

The Jean Golding Institute (JGI) is committed to providing a welcoming, friendly and supportive environment for all participants at its activities regardless of age, disability, belief and religion, race, ethnicity and nationality, sex and gender, sexual orientation, and other protected characteristics. We pledge to provide a safe and professional environment where people from the broadest range of backgrounds can participate fully in our activities. This code of conduct applies before, during and after our events, and in all physical and virtual spaces. 

Our expectations 

• By participating in our meetings and events, we expect participants to abide by this Code of Conduct and accept the procedure by which any Code of Conduct incidents are resolved 

• We expect that all participants are treated with respect, and that all event participants contribute to a safe and positive experience for everyone 

• We expect that all participants provide their true professional identity, institutional affiliation, and - where applicable - contact details, when registering for and attending the event, as required 

Behaviours we encourage 

• Use of welcoming and inclusive language 

• Showing respect for different viewpoints and experience 

• Graceful acceptance of constructive criticism 

• Make space for others to speak and ask questions 

• Understanding that people will have different skills, levels of knowledge and expertise  

Unacceptable behaviour  

• Intimidation, harassment, abuse, discrimination, derogatory or demeaning speech and actions 

• Harmful or prejudicial verbal or written comments or visual images related to age, disability, belief and religion, race, ethnicity and nationality, sex and gender, sexual orientation, and other protected characteristics, including those protected by law 

• Use of sexual language or imagery 

• Real or implied threat of professional or financial damage or harm 

• Inappropriate disruption of meetings or events 

• Videoing or audio recording of slides, oral or poster presentations without presenter/author’s permission 

Further unacceptable behaviour specific to online platforms including social media accounts: 

• Sharing links about services, commercial products, and other advertising 

• Repeatedly posting the same message across chats 

• Posting unrelated or off topic messages across chats 

• Impersonating or pretending to be another person 

• Violating the rules and regulations of the online platform 

Although we encourage participants to use the chat function for debates and discussions, and support freedom of speech, we also have a duty of care to participants.  

Resolution of incidents 

Incidents will be reviewed and if the code of conduct has been violated, the actions we take could include: 

• Requesting the person to refrain from the behaviour that is in breach of the code of conduct 

• Informing the person as to the consequences of their actions 

• Removal from the activity if the person continues to breach the of code of conduct 

• Restrictions from future meetings and events 

• Removal from mailing list or positions on committees or working groups 

Reporting incidents to the JGI 

If you believe someone is violating the code of conduct, please report this to the event organiser straight away if possible. Please also contact jgi-admin@bristol.ac.uk to report any incidents. If you prefer to raise the unacceptable behaviour to an independent party within the University, you can contact one of the Stand up Speak out Advocates, who are volunteers trained to provide an informal advisory service to staff experiencing unacceptable behaviour, bullying or harassment at work. They can also support staff who are facing allegations about their own behaviour. 

The JGI Statement of inclusion 

The Jean Golding Institute is committed to fostering a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment for all who participate in our activities and events. We value and encourage participation from a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We recognise the need for increased inclusion of underrepresented communities, including women, ethnic and racial minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and others of the protected characteristics.  

Through inclusive practices, we aim to create activities and events that are accessible and that accommodate the needs of all participants. If you would like to participate in an activity and have access requirements, please get in contact and we shall do all that we can to enable engagement. Our code of conduct provides a pathway for reporting discrimination, bias, and exclusionary behaviours either to the JGI or an external reporting body. 

The Jean Golding Institute places a high priority on ensuring our activities are safe spaces where a diversity of people feel included. We welcome feedback from our community on our inclusion efforts, so please do get in contact if you feel that there are changes we could make to further these efforts.