Anti-Harassment policy

Anti-Harassment policy

WYSE Travel Confederation condemns any form of harassment or inappropriate conduct, and undertakes to ensure that all staff, conference participant and visitors are aware and abide by its policy and procedures for dealing with such instances.

All WYSE Travel Confederation events are open to everyone and we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion. This code of conduct outlines our expectations for conference and event participant behaviour as well as the consequences for unacceptable behaviour.

We invite all sponsors, speakers, delegates, media, exhibitors, volunteers and other participants to help make WYSE Travel Confederation events a safe and positive experience for everyone.

We expect all participants to abide by this code of conduct at all conference venues and conference-related social events.

All decisions about appropriate or inappropriate behaviour are at the sole discretion of WYSE Travel Confederation management.

Definition

Harassment is behaviour which is unwanted, uninvited and unacceptable to the recipient. Harassment is defined by the impact on the recipient, not the intention of the person displaying the behaviour.

Expected behaviour

    • Be considerate and respectful.
    • To dress professionally as appropriate for the conference
    • To abide by all conference guidelines regarding your conduct, recognising that you represent yourself, your organisation and the industry.
    • To respect the property and rights of the hotel, the conference venue, social spaces and other guests and public.
    • Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behaviour and speech.
    • Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants.
    • Alert conference organisers if you notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress.

Unacceptable behaviour

    • Unacceptable behaviour includes: intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory or demeaning conduct by any participants at the conference and related events including all after hours networking events.
    • Harassment includes: offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, race, class, nationality, religion, political opinion, disability; inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces (including presentation slides and social media); deliberate intimidation, stalking, pestering, spying or following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact and unwelcome sexual attention.
    • Harassment also includes unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct.
    • Coercion, including pressure for sexual favours.
    • Wearing clothing that is not suitable for a professional work environment, that is provocative, or otherwise potentially offensive.
    • Verbal and written harassment through jokes, racist remarks, offensive language, gossip and slander, threats, letters through any medium including social media, email or the business appointment system.
    • Physical intimidation, threats, annoyance, harassment, stalking, pushing, shoving or use of any physical force whatsoever against any person, which in any way creates a disturbance that is disruptive or dangerous, or creates anxiety in a person.
    • Possession of any item that can be used as a weapon and may cause danger to others.
    • Any boisterous, lewd or offensive behaviour or language, including but not limited to using sexually explicit or offensive language, materials or conduct, or any language, behaviour or content that contains profanity, obscene gestures, or racial, religious, gender, or ethnic slurs.
    • Excessive consumption of alcohol and drinking alcohol outside designated areas. Please drink responsibly.
    • Possession or use of any illegal substance. WYSE Travel Confederation does not tolerate the use or abuse of illegal substances anywhere in the designated conference venues or social event locations.
    • Smoking is not permitted other than in designated areas.
    • Assembling for the purpose of, or resulting in, disturbing the peace, or committing any unlawful act or engaging in any offensive behaviour.
    • Failure to obey any rules or regulations of the venue(s).

Consequences of unacceptable behaviour

    • Unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated.
    • Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behaviour is expected to comply immediately.
    • If a participant engages in unacceptable behaviour, the conference organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from the conference without warning or refund.

A participant who has been subject to action by WYSE Travel Confederation will be referred to the Management Board who will consider sanctions which may include banning the offending participant from future WYSE events.

What to do if you witness or are a victim of harassment or unacceptable behaviour

    • If you are subjected to harassment or unacceptable behaviour or notice that someone else is being subjected to harassment or unacceptable behaviour, or have any other concerns during the event, please notify a member of the WYSE Travel Confederation events team or management as soon as possible. All reports will remain confidential unless required to be submitted as part of any legal action.
    • Anonymous reporting of an incident can be made via the WYSE Travel Confederation website here.
    • The WYSE Travel Confederation team will be available to help conference participants experiencing unacceptable behaviour to contact venue security or local law enforcement, or to otherwise assist them to feel safe for the duration of the event. You can report unacceptable behaviour to WYSE by visiting the registration desk, the secretariat office or by calling the number on the back of your participant badge.