In the beginning of October, Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK published a new Code of Conduct for TEK's events. In the big picture, the new Code of Conduct is part of the ethical guidelines, or the Code of Conduct for the entire organization. The Code of Conduct for events outlines the behaviours that are expected and the ones that are unacceptable at events organized by TEK. The Code of Conduct for TEK's events is an adapted version of the Citizen Code of Conduct.
Jussi-Pekka Teini, why do we have a separate Code of Conduct for TEK's events?
We organize many coaching events that need to build a strong atmosphere of trust, such as Nuorten osaajien forum and Maailmanparannusforum, and this Code of Conduct allows us to better foster the experience of psychological safety. In addition, we obviously want all our other events to also be safe and positive experiences for all our members and stakeholders.
Do adults really need explicit rules to understand how to behave?
TEK members are, for the most part, a very sensible and well-behaved lot. However, you can find all sorts of people in a big community like this.
Making our unwritten rules more explicit improves the safety of both the event organizers and the participants. Organizers have something to fall back on if they need to interfere with inappropriate behaviour, and participants know what to do if they see or experience such behaviour. Us Finns, and Finnish engineers in particular, love processes, and this Code of Conduct is a description of our process.
How will the new Code of Conduct affect members who participate in TEK's events?
Hopefully it will create an even better atmosphere at our events, which will lower the threshold for active participation for each and every TEK member. The term ‘Code of Conduct’ may sound daunting, but it all comes down to a simple principle: let’s all behave like adults while exercising consideration for other people in our actions.
Who has drawn up the Code of Conduct for TEK's events?
TEK's event team, but the contents have been copied pretty much as they are from the Citizen Code of Conduct, distributed under a Creative Commons license. Basically, all we had to do was translate the existing Code into Finnish.
How does TEK monitor compliance with the Code of Conduct and what happens if someone breaks the Code?
The employee in charge of organizing an event is responsible for the participants’ overall experience, and that includes compliance with the Code of Conduct. Event organizers have the right to temporarily remove any participants who engage in unacceptable behaviour from the event or ban them permanently if they continue engaging in such behaviour despite being asked to stop.
What do you think is the most important clause in the new Code of Conduct?
“Participate in an authentic and active way while exercising consideration and respect in your speech and actions.” This nicely sums up the entire Code of Conduct in one sentence.