Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct applies to all ACE employees, interns, select contractors, and board members (hereafter referred to as “ACE Team Members” or “We”). ACE Team Members are required to abide by both this Code and the Respect in the Workplace Policy as a condition of their relationship with ACE.

1. We engage in professional communication and behavior that supports the organization’s mission, vision, values, policies, and culture of collegiality and empowerment in the workplace.
2. We contribute to promoting a safe and equitable workplace by acting in accordance with the Respect in the Workplace Policy and reporting violations when we experience or observe them.
3. We exercise our best judgment in making decisions to maintain a workplace culture that fulfills our ACE priorities of safety, equity, integrity, transparency, efficacy, and efficiency.
4. We practice kind, clear, and direct communication. We practice empathy to imagine what someone else might be experiencing and use that information to guide our interactions with them.
5. We generously share our knowledge and thoughts with each other and hold space for others to do the same. We openly teach, guide, mentor, listen to, and empower each other.
6. We collectively build out our goals and projects, collaborating as a team.
7. We embrace a learning mindset and commit to growing together, especially when discussing difficult or unfamiliar topics.
8. We understand that when ACE could improve in an area, ACE encourages us to speak up and share our ideas with a manager, designated person, or member of leadership.
9. We demonstrate respect for our colleagues even in the logistics of our meetings and events:
   • We do not serve animal products at ACE events. If we need to use animal products at ACE events (e.g. for health reasons), we agree to do so privately.
   • We arrive at meetings and events, both virtual and in-person, on time.
   • In large meetings or other meetings where we are not speaking often, we mute ourselves when we are not speaking so that any background noise does not interfere with the meeting.
   • We wait for a person to complete their thought before voicing ours.

As our culture of understanding evolves, a hurtful comment or mistake in language, particularly with relation to equity issues, may occur on occasion. In those instances, ACE encourages acknowledgement of not only intent but also impact, and suggests the following process to kindly call-out these moments whenever possible to repair any harm done to individuals and inspire greater learning for all.

1. If someone makes a hurtful comment or mistake in language, it is best practice to make a quick, kind, in-the-moment correction in the Zoom or Google Hangouts chat box visible to everyone (versus addressing the matter verbally) so that all may benefit from the learning while keeping the flow of the meeting.
2. In order to demonstrate goodwill and collegiality, the corrector may use safe phrasing such as “learning moment” to preface the correction. Such a phrase is intended to reduce any defenses the recipient of the correction may hold while not trivializing or minimizing the importance of the correction and impact of the original comment or mistake.
3. If the recipient of the correction needs further guidance, they may ask the corrector to speak privately later to understand the issue further.
4. The same general principles above can also be employed during in-person interactions.