COMMUNITY CODE OF CONDUCT
1. Application
The Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) offers registrants a variety of ways to interact with each other. This Online Communities Platform is one of those ways.
This Community Code of Conduct applies to all individuals who choose to sign into the Online Communities Platform and other digital properties owned by the HRPA that allow for some form of engagement with HRPA registrants, volunteers, and staff. For this document, these parties are also referred to as "users."
By joining and using this community, you agree that you have read and will follow this Community Code of Conduct.
2. Questions
General questions about this community should be directed to our support team via the Contact Us link on this site.
Technical questions or issues should be directed to the Community Manager.
3. Obligations and the HRPA’s Right to Terminate Access
To ensure the best possible experience for all users, the HRPA has established general and specific rules for participation.
The HRPA reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by this Community Code of Conduct and, if the HRPA deems it appropriate, to escalate such failure to abide through the appropriate channels.
4. General Rules
In order to preserve a climate that encourages civil and fruitful dialogue, HRPA staff and community moderators may reject messages. HRPA staff may suspend or terminate the ability to participate in this community for anyone who violates these rules.
This is a great medium through which to solicit guidance from peers, benefit from their experience, and participate in an ongoing conversation. Users agree to reserve discussions and shared files and content to discussions and files best suited to the medium.
Users must conduct themselves in a manner that:
· Upholds the HRPA’s reputation;
· Does not violate the Code of Ethics and Rules of Professional Conduct; and
· Does not detract from the public’s trust and confidence in the HRPA and the HR profession.
By posting material, the posting party warrants and represents that the posting party owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the posting party grants the HRPA and users of this site the nonexclusive right and licence to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, and use such information or other material.
5. Specific Rules
· Do not post anything that could be considered discriminatory, defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal.
· Do not post anything protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner.
· Do not challenge or attack others, whether directly or by implication. Do not criticize or disparage a poster (or others who may agree with the poster) even if you disagree with the contents of the post. The discussions and comments are meant to stimulate conversation, not to create contention. Let others have their say. Remain respectful.
· Do not post messages that are commercial in nature. Do not start a post with a view to soliciting business for you or someone else. If you are a consultant (including a lawyer) who offers HR-related services, you may respond to requests for advice from other users to offer information (including legal information), followed by a note that for more detailed information or legal advice, a formal consultation is required. However, such activity should be limited to a specific area of true expertise and should not be used as a general marketing channel.
· Do not “troll” (i.e., post controversial comments with a view to causing emotional reactions or commencing an argument).
· Do not post external job postings or volunteer opportunities. The Online Communities platform should not be used as a job board. If you want to post an opportunity to the HR community, you may use the HRPA’s Hire Authority platform.
· Use caution when discussing products and services. Information posted on the lists and in the libraries is available for all to see, and comments are subject to applicable law (e.g., libel, slander, antitrust/anti-competition).
· Do not share false information. Do not share information the accuracy of which is questionable, controversial, not credible, etc. Ensure your posts are fact-checked and from credible sources.
· Post only to the most appropriate lists or libraries. Do not spam several lists or libraries with the same message.
· All messages should add to the body of knowledge and be constructive to the topic being discussed.
· Do not post anything that encourages or facilitates, either expressly or impliedly, price fixing, a boycott of another’s business, or other conduct intended to illegally restrict free trade. Messages that encourage or facilitate an agreement about the following: prices, discounts, or terms or conditions of sale; salaries; profits, profit margins, or cost data; market shares, sales territories, or markets; allocation of customers or territories; or selection, rejection, or termination of customers or suppliers.
· Exercise caution: remember that other participants may reproduce postings for unknown purposes.
6. No Warranty
This site and all associated resources are offered as a service for the registrants of the HRPA. The HRPA is not responsible for the opinions and information posted on this site by others. The HRPA disclaims all warranties with regard to information posted on this site, whether posted by the HRPA or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall the HRPA be liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data, or profits arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any information posted on this site.
The HRPA conducts periodic reviews of shared content. If any inappropriate posting is brought to the attention of the HRPA, the HRPA will take appropriate action.
7. Digital Assets Shared
Files shared on the platform, whether by registrants or the HRPA, must not be shared or re-purposed in any way without the express approval of the content author. All digital assets, including profile photos, contact information, and digital badges (including any designation graphics that are the property of the HRPA) are not to be used or shared outside of the Online Communities platform.
8. Discussion Group Etiquette
- State concisely and clearly the topic of your comments in the subject line. This allows users to respond more appropriately to your posting and makes it easier for members to search the archives by subject.
- Only send a message to the entire list when it contains information that everyone can benefit from.
- Send messages such as "thanks for the information" or "me, too" to individuals--not to the entire community. Do this by using the "Reply to Sender" link to the left of every message.
- Do not send administrative messages, such as “remove me from the list.” Instead, use the web interface to change your settings or to remove yourself from a list. If you are changing your e-mail address, you do not need to remove yourself from the list and rejoin under your new e-mail address. Simply change your settings.
- Warn other list subscribers of lengthy messages either in the subject line or at the beginning of the message body with a line that says, "Long Message."
9. “Anonymous” Posting
Users may post in a way that appears to be “anonymous” to the community, as some users may find value in being able to ask a question without potential judgment from a peer.
Please be aware, however, that the HRPA can access reports/logs that will indicate who posted an “anonymous” post. The HRPA reserves the right to use these reports/logs where appropriate (e.g., in case of an alleged or apparent violation of this Community Code of Conduct, in response to a request by police, in response to a court order, in case of an alleged or apparent breach of the poster’s legal or regulatory obligations).
10. Privacy
The HRPA is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information collected from its employees, registrants, customers, suppliers, and others and to ensuring that such information is used only for appropriate purposes.
Users can access the HRPA’s Privacy Policy on our website. Privacy practices for the HRPA’s various activities are reviewed regularly and updated as necessary. Any questions or concerns regarding this policy or its implementation should be directed to the Privacy Officer via email.
11. Risks
While the HRPA does its best to protect personal information, users are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of any passwords or other account information. In addition, other Internet sites or services that may be accessible or posted through this site have separate data and privacy practices independent of HRPA; the HRPA disclaims any responsibility or liability for their policies or actions. Please contact those vendors and others directly if you have any questions about their privacy policies.