These guidelines are established to guide productive and supportive discussions and to promote a respectful, supportive environment where everyone can speak up, ask questions, and disagree productively. We expect all lab members to follow these guidelines in all discussions, whether they are technical or personal.
We do not tolerate any form of harassment, no exceptions. If there is ever an incident that makes you uncomfortable, please reach out directly to Christina (note that she is a responsible employee, so she is required to report certain disclosures). You can also consider other confidential and non-confidential resources. See Support resources for more details.
These guidelines were assembled from previously published lists and adapted for our lab. We will review them together once a year so that all new and continuing members know what we expect in any discussion.
In all interactions, we ask that you…
Open each commitment below for the details.
Recognize…
- that none of us are experts on everything. Everyone in the group is here to learn.
- that this is a professional environment. Make sure to respect professional boundaries.
- that an opinion is not the same as informed knowledge backed by research. Both can be valid to share, but know the difference and lean toward informed knowledge and thoughtful reflection on difficult topics.
- that different people have different needs in a discussion. Give others time to think and space to process difficult decisions.
- that discrimination and harassment of any kind have no place in our lab or our science. Treating people fairly takes deliberate effort.
- that no one should be expected to speak on behalf of any group they belong to. We can’t, even if we wanted to.
Acknowledge…
- that your own background and life experience shape your perspectives, reactions, and viewpoints.
- that we may disagree on two valid, mutually exclusive positions. Seek to understand one another before judgment.
- that we all carry assumptions and blind spots, about others and about ourselves.
- that we may be at different stages of learning on any topic. Prioritize empathy.
Respect…
- when another member of the group is speaking. Only one person speaks at a time.
- others’ experiences and stories. Use “I” statements when speaking from your own position, don’t speak for others without their explicit consent, and don’t argue against someone’s personal experience for sport (ideas are always fair game).
- others’ confidentiality. “Share a message not the messenger.”
Not blame…
- ourselves or others for mistakes. Mistakes will happen. Recognize them, acknowledge them and move forward responsibly and empathetically.
- ourselves or others for what we didn’t know, but accept responsibility for not repeating something after we have learned better.
Trust…
- that people are doing the best they can; we all make mistakes and have bad days; when these occur, let’s challenge and encourage each other to do better.
- that you can ask for help. It’s okay not to know.
- that you can be honest about your feelings and opinions on issues, both to yourself and to others.
Take responsibility…
- for listening actively and staying engaged.
- for including all voices in the discussion. Step up into space if you find yourself regularly contributing too little. Step back if you find yourself contributing too much.
- to address ideas and not people. Understand we feel the ways we feel because of different experiences we’ve had. Feelings and ideas are impermanent and not reflective of the characters of the people who hold them. We can weigh the pros and cons of an idea without weighing the person.
- for your mistakes. Own the effect of your words even when you meant well, and work to repair it.
- for your own defensive reactions and attempt to use these reactions as entry points for gaining deeper self-knowledge.
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